AutoMoon
by Black Convoy
Summary: What if the Ark didn't crash on Earth? If so, what if the war between the Autobots and Decepticons fought on the Moon? Was Beryl truly responsible for the fall of the Moon Kingdom. Transformers G1 x-over. Serenity/Hotaru centered. Please read and review.
1. Awakening Return of the Autobots

Well, I'm going to give another try at a multi-chapter Transformers crossover story. Hopefully this will be more successful than the others. I want to thank Harpygirl91 and Sailor Ra for their reviews on A Simple Flower. Anyways, enjoy and if you like it, then review, please.

* * *

Chapter 1

The Awakening

Ark:

"I thought you would have already known Megatron," growled Optimus Prime as he grappled with his old nemesis. "You and your kind are not welcome on my ship!" The Autobot commander managed to get the upper hand on his foe and throw the Decepticon leader out into the void of space. Prime then turned his attention to the other Decepticons on board the Ark, which he easily dispatched. However, his problems were far from done. "Jazz, give me a damage assessment." The damage to the ship caused by their battle left a large hole in the side and knocked out a few of the Ark's engines. "Well that's just prime," muttered Optimus as he took his place at the ship's wheel.

"Wheeljack to Optimus," announced the Autobot's main mechanic and mad scientist via communication terminal. "Hate to ruin your happy day, but the engine repairs are gonna take at least five cycles before they're up and runnin'." At the moment, it was clear that Wheeljack wasn't the first bot Prime wanted to see, but what choice did he have.

"We don't have that amount of time," commented Optimus. "Get as many working as you can in less than two cycles, and no complaining." Normally, Prime wasn't this demanding, but this wasn't a normal situation. Heck, he didn't even have time to organize all of his thoughts in his central processor. "Ironhide, what is our current destination?"

"It ain't good chief. According to the readings, we're heading for a planet's moon. The really bad part is that it's populated!"

"That changes everything," said Prime as his grip on the Ark's controls tightened. He pressed a few buttons on the panel in front of him and waited for a response from the loud speaker system. "Attention all Autobots, brace yourselves for a rough landing. We must avoid hitting any populated sector at all cost. Hopefully, we'll get through this in one piece."

Moon Kingdom, Mare Serenitatis, 2 years later:

"What?! Princess Hotaru is gone missing again," shouted one of the many servants of the Moon Kingdom. "What is that girl's problem? Is she trying to make die of worry?"

"Calm down Xenos," said another servant to her over-reacting co-worker. "Remember that Lady Saturn is still a young teenager and this is one of the few times she was allowed to leave Titan Castle. Her time here is limited and she's a very curious girl, so it doesn't surprise me that she left the palace."

"I must agree with Zepherites on that topic," commented an eavesdropper who held great authority in the kingdom. That person was the entire reason for the Moon Kingdom's prosperity, Queen Serenity. The two women just stared at their queen for a few moments in shock before they were able to fully understand exactly whose presence they were in. Once the thought process was complete, they dropped to their knees in front of Serenity and bombarded her with apologies and pleas for forgiveness. This behavior wasn't new to the queen, but she couldn't help but laugh each time. "You may stand up now, and there is no need to break your knees just because I am around. Also, do not worry about Princess Hotaru, I will send somebody to get her," said Serenity cheerfully as she turned away, unaware of another presence stalking her.

The mysterious person hid in the shadows and waited for the opportune moment to strike Queen Serenity. Unfortunately, the assassin's plans were foiled when Zepherites noticed the light reflecting off his knife. She shrieked, making his presence known to everyone, but that did not deter the assailant. With swift movements, he killed both of the servants and lunged at the queen. "For true justice for the Dark Moon Kingdom," he shouted prior to slashing at Serenity. Unfortunately, his attack was not fatal and only managed to scratch the queen's arm, while she was able to pull some of his mask down. What the queen saw horrified her to no end, but the guards arrived and drove off the assailant before she could call his name. For Serenity, the pain in her heart outweighed the pain of her wound and she slumped to the ground crying. "What wrong have I done to you my son," she sobbed as some of her attendants came to her side.

Upon returning to the throne room, Serenity was not given a single moment to rest before a messenger came running in. "Your Majesty, I have some important news for you." Many of the attendants gave him an angry glare and were about to send him away if not for the intervention of the queen. "Queen Serenity, this information pertains to the large spacecraft that crashed nearby two years ago. We've finally managed to get past the security systems and are ready to open it."

Mare Serenitatis, outside of the palace grounds:

Princess Hotaru of Saturn gazed over a spectacular view of the kingdom from her newly claimed "favorite spot." It was a quiet little place on the side of a mountain with lush grass and a large tree that provided shade. The best part about it was that it was her secret spot where she could get away from the troubles of being a princess and just be a normal girl. However, it wasn't a secret for much longer as Hotaru's ears became filled with the sounds of somebody scampering up the tree behind her. Being a young teenage girl, she looked up to see what was causing all of the commotion and got a bit more than what she'd bargained for. "Excuse me, but could you please find a more private place to change your clothes," she asked sweetly, but received a blank stare in return. The boy, still in his undergarments bundled his clothes and prepared to leap out of the tree. "Don't leave," she begged for reasons unbeknownst to her.

"Well, what do you want," ask the boy, irritated and cold from being half naked.

"I…um… would like you at least stay and keep me company for a while. If that is alright with you?" Even though she was a princess with power over the majority of people, it was just not in her nature to order others around. Hotaru stared at the boy with large puppy-eyes, waiting for a reply.

"Fine, just let me get dressed." Hotaru, happy with the response she got, agreed to his terms. During the time it took for her company to get dressed, she entertained herself with the giddy thought of having a conversation with a person that would treat her like a normal girl instead of a fixed conversation with people who were aware of her status. "So what do you want to talk about," asked the boy as he took a seat beside her. Hotaru took note of his dark skin and how his navy jacket and pants complemented his dark complexion. "Well," he asked impatiently, making her laugh a little.

"First, we can start with telling each other our names. I'm Hotaru…"

"You mean Princess Hotaru of Saturn," interrupted the boy. Hotaru's heart sank as the idea of a normal conversation vanished. She glanced over at the boy to see if there were any changes in his behavior, but was relieved to see nothing. "My name is Setsuna and I'm just a commoner in this miserable kingdom," he said as his fist tightened. Hotaru was glad that his manor of speaking hadn't changed, but the anger radiating from him did both her. "Don't worry, I'm not going to hold it against you because you don't make the laws in this land of injustice and strife." Now, she was really troubled and even hurt by these accusations directed to her queen.

"I don't know what you're talking about, but there is no injustice while Queen Serenity is in power," said Hotaru softly so not to further the boy's anger.

Setsuna just looked at Hotaru as if she was crazy then turned his head and sighed. "Not to the Lunarians, but it's a whole different story with my people. We're always being persecuted against."

This information was too much for Hotaru to comprehend. For all of her life, she'd been taught to believe that Queen Serenity single-handedly brought peace and justice to every person in the kingdom. That tranquility and kindness were the guiding principles of a kingdom that was superior to the greatest utopia. "That's a lie! Queen Serenity would never allow injustice to fall upon any group of people," she shouted as tears flowed down her eyes.

"Not for my people," replied Setsuna in a calm tone as he pushed aside his central bang to show Hotaru the marking on his forehead. However, before he could do that, the young boy was tackled to the ground and placed in handcuffs by two imperial soldiers.

"What is the meaning of this," roared Hotaru, enraged by the actions of the imperial soldiers. "He is just a civilian boy with a distaste for the crown. He has not committed any crime nor has he tried to harm me in any way!"

"Princess Hotaru, this is not an issue that concerns you, and this boy," said the soldier as he pressed his knee against Setsuna's head, "is certainly not an innocent civilian. Isn't that right Soran Ibrahim, son of Solaris Ibrahim of the Dark Moon Kingdom. He is a fugitive that's been avoiding his sentence for all of his life and will now join his fellow scum on Nemesis as soon as we get his father. Not to mention he was a key figure in the rebellion at Endymion Crater and personally tried to assassinate Queen Serenity. "

Hotaru was shocked by the accusations pressed against Setsuna. To make things worse for the young princess, Setsuna was not denying them. She was too stunned to come up with any type of defense for him, and at the moment, she wasn't sure if she wanted to. The sting of betrayal struck her heart as she watched the boy being forced to his feet. She was about to befriend a person of the very clan she was taught to associate with the devil. Hotaru's body was limp preventing her from doing anything except watching the soldiers lead Setsuna away with his hands tied to the back of a prison transport vehicle. "Why did this have to happen," she asked herself as she stared at the ground.

The site of the crashed spacecraft:

"I'm sorry Your Majesty for making you come all the way out here after that dreadful ordeal I heard about, but this is our one chance to open this ship."

"Yes, I understand," responded Serenity kindly, even though she was in no mood to act for anybody. "I don't want to hear your excuses, just open the ship." The engineer did exactly what he was ordered to do, and punched in a series of buttons that opened a large metal door. What they found beyond those doors easily outclassed any other scientific or technological discovery to date. As predicted, it was a space ship, but the mere size of the controls served as a phenomenon in itself. Clearly, the species that inhabited this ship dwarfed their own species several times. Then, one question was answered but raised so many more once they reached the control room. Robots, gargantuan robots lay scattered on the floor while some remained seated at their post, all of them deactivated.

"Stand back you're Highness, there may still be some traps or other security devices active on this ship," said one of Serenity's body guards as he placed himself in front of the queen. However, he was pushed aside.

"I am well aware of that possibility commander, but I wish to see these "aliens" for myself." Serenity made her way to a particular robot that peaked her interest. It appeared taller than most of the others and had a blue head and a red body. Despite the warnings from her guards, Serenity found herself drawing closer to the robot until she was close enough to touch its arm. However, as she reached out to the metallic limb, motion sensors on the main body detected her and activated the robot.

"Elita," spoke the robot as it stared at Serenity and reached for her, only to shut down again.

"Hurry, Queen Serenity, it's not safe here," said one of her guards as he led her out of the room. "Once we're out, I want you to blow this thing sky high," he ordered one of his subordinates.

"I did not give permission for such a course of action commander," intervened Serenity, much to the surprise of the guards. "I want our top engineers and mechanics at this spot a.s.a.p. They are to repair these machines. Is that understood?"

"Yes Ma'am."

"Good, because I fear something big is going to happen and these robots may be our only chance for survival."


	2. War Renewal

It's everybody's favorite time, Update time! Special thanks to Harpygirl91, Taeniaea, and Shadowhawk for their reviews. Hopefully, you'll all like this chapter. Also, a note that since this takes place way before the 1980s, the Autobots and Decepticons are still in the War Within form. If you don't know what they look like, then I suggest Googling it or look it up on the Wiki page, Teletran-1. Till then, peace out and please review.

I forgot to mention that I don't own Setsuna F. Seiei, he belongs to Bandai.

* * *

Chapter 2

War Renewal

For Optimus Prime, waking up in an unfamiliar environment was the last thing he needed to make a bad cycle worse. Well, it could have been worse; it could have happened on a good cycle. The Autobot commander took note of the metal restraints around his hands and was not amused by the fact that they were made of iron, not to mention that it wasn't pure iron. Who uses iron anymore and why was it so much weaker than the type used on Cybertron? If he was supposed to be a prisoner, his captors were either primitive or they underestimated his strength. "Where am I," he asked himself as he examined his surroundings. "Well, wherever this is, I don't feel like sticking around." Prime pulled up his right arm and freed himself easily from the restraint. The real shocker was the surge of electricity that followed. Even though the electricity hurt very badly, it would take a lot more to stop Optimus Prime. As planned, he managed to break free from all of his restraints, but the task took quite a toll on his energy. "Megatron may have been right, I am getting too old for this," said the red and blue Autobot as he took a few nano-cycles to recover. Unfortunately, that was all the time needed for about fifty or so little flesh creatures armed with primitive firearms to surround him. "Alpha Trion told me there would be days like this," he groaned while putting his hands up in order to prevent any unnecessary violence.

"Stand down," ordered a female fleshling that caught Prime's attention. "We don't want to antagonize it." By the way everybody followed her orders, even Sludge could figure out she was their leader. "Bah-weep-Graaaaagnah wheep ni ni bong," said Serenity as she extended an energon goody, despite it being rather small, much to the surprise of Optimus Prime. It comforted him to know that communication between him and the smaller species was not completely impossible. After all, the queen did know the universal greeting.

"Bah-weep-Graaaaagnah wheep ni ni bong," replied Prime as he accepted the small treat. For Prime now seemed to be the best time to introduce himself. "My name is Optimus Prime. I am an Autobot from the planet Cybertron. I mean you all no harm."

"Thank you, but I already know you are a peaceful being." Serenity automatically knew she would have to explain since Prime had just come back online and wasn't full functioning. "At least that is what my heart tells me." That reason alone made her presence more comfortable to the Autobot Commander because, if anything, they held a similar value. "I am Serenity, Queen of the Moon Kingdom. It is a pleasure to meet you Optimus Prime." The white haired queen extended her hand in friendship, which Prime, very, very carefully, took.

"The pleasure is all mine, you're Highness," replied Optimus as he felt his stress level drop dramatically. However, he was still very worried about his crew onboard the Ark. "There were others with me. Would you happen to know where they are or if they are still functioning?"

"Rest assured the crew of your ship is fine. Like you were, they are still in stasis and require repairs before they can be activated. As soon as our mechanics finish the necessary "measures," we will hand them over to you." Before continuing, Serenity looked away from Optimus and a few tears trickled down her cheeks. She was ashamed of something and Prime was about to find out what it was. "Because you are from an unknown solar system, we are forced to take preventive actions to secure our people. On the back of your neck is a small EMP generator that is designed to overload your systems in case of emergency. Please forgive me."

"There is nothing that you need forgiveness for," consulted Optimus as he slowly wiped away her tears. "If I were in your position, I would have to do the same." The Autobot Commander found a great deal of similarities between the Queen and himself, and came to a conclusion that they could help each other. "Queen Serenity, would you mind briefing me on everything that has happened since our ship crashed into your kingdom (I would say planet, but the problem lies in the fact that it's not a planet)?"

Dungeon of the Royal Palace:

Hotaru made sure to move as quickly and quietly as possible in order to slip past the prison guards. If she were to be caught, the guards would, without a doubt, return her to her room, claiming that the dungeon was no place for a princess to be. However, there was something she needed to know and the only person who could tell her was locked up in a cell. No matter what, she would be caught, but hopefully, it would be after she acquired the information she wanted. Trying her best to not react to the slimy feeling of mud on her bare feet, Hotaru snuck into the prison hall, and quickly slammed and barricaded the door. "I'm sorry, but I have to do this," she said softly, even though the guards wouldn't hear it.

The young princess of Saturn made her way down the hall of prison cells, making sure to stay in the middle in order to avoid the grabbing hands of many prisoners. Hotaru also made strong attempts to ignore the jeers and troubling comments made by the inmates, but it was really taking a toll on her self-esteem. "Why are you here?" The young royalty recognized the person's voice and quickly turned to face him.

"I've come to learn the truth about you, Setsuna F. Seiei," answered Hotaru as she made eye contact with the young prisoner.

Hotaru had reached her destination, but forgot to be aware of her surroundings. In a horrifying and unexpected series of events, the Saturian Princess found herself pinned against the prison bars behind her while the man who occupied that cell was about to rape her. "I wonder how soothing the scream of a princess is," taunted the offender as he firmly grasped the back of her dress.

"I suggest you refrain from you're plan of action and release her immediately," said Setsuna calmly as he just sat on his bunk. "That is if you value your life."

" Whatcha' gonna do ta stop me," responded the assaulting prisoner as he ripped the back and the straps off of Hotaru's gown, making the princess scream as she tried to cover her exposed breast. Fortunately for her, her soon-to-be rapist was not able to do anything else. After hearing a loud thud, Hotaru opened her eyes just in time to see a bright red glow disappear from Setsuna's eyes. She turned around to see what had become of her attacker only to see that half of his head was blown off of his body.

"Here," said Hotaru's rescuer as he removed his vest and stuck it through the bars of his cell. Despite still being in shock from her recent attempted rape, she had enough sense to accept Setsuna's vest and was able to act quickly to clothe herself. She was grateful to the boy for rescuing her and was even more thankful when he offered her his scarf too. "Use it as a belt so the rest of your dress doesn't fall off as well."

"Thank you," said Hotaru as a slight shade of red came across her face.

"Don't give it a second thought," replied Setsuna, expecting her to leave it at that. He was stunned when he felt her place a short kiss on his cheek, and naturally withdrew from the cell bars. "What was that for?"

"I felt that a simple thank you would not be enough to show how grateful I am," answered Hotaru sweetly after a small case of giggles.

"OK, just don't let it happen again," instructed the dark-skinned boy as he became flustered. "By the way, didn't you want to ask me something?"

"Yes, I did. But first, would you mind if I came in and sat by you?" Setsuna just looked at Hotaru as if she was crazy and was about to comment until he saw pull a key out of her glove. Now even more questions raced through the boy's head and distracted him enough to where he did not notice his company entering his cell and sitting beside him. "How… How…did…you… Never mind."

Lunar Palace:

Optimus Prime enjoyed listening to Queen Serenity's story while he transported her on his shoulder around the palace grounds. Unfortunately, this few moments of bliss were short lived because of a large explosion from the city. Since it was a part of his programming, Prime went along with Serenity to the sight of the tragedy in case he could be of any assistance. When he arrived, the Autobot Supreme Commander was unable to do anything to save the casualties, but he was able to identify the cause, or rather, it called out to him. "Prepare to be destroyed Optimus Prime," screamed an obnoxious voice that Prime could only curse at upon hearing. Instinctively, Optimus grabbed Serenity and rolled out of the way of incoming laser beams.

"You really are the lowest of the low, aren't you Starscream," said Prime as he took aim with the guns on his forearm (also serve as his exhaust pipes), and fired. His shots hit the overly ambitious Seeker and sent him spiraling down. However, Optimus knew his recent actions left him with his guard down, and was soon shot in the back, as he anticipated. "You really need to get some new tactics Megatron. I was able to predict that one coming from 15 light-years away." The red and blue robot gently placed Serenity down and turned to face his old nemesis.

"Predict it you may have, Prime, but you failed to do anything to avoid it, so that tactic is still effective," replied Megatron prior to tackling his injured foe. With a loud thud, Prime was on the ground with his arch enemy on top of him. Megatron readied his fist to smash in Optimus' face, but Optimus managed to strike him first.

"You told me something once on Cybertron which I have now confirmed, Megatron. I am getting old for this. However, you're aging just as fast as I am," said Optimus as he kicked Megatron off of him. Prime quickly rose to his feet and activated his energon axe.

"I wonder what it is that makes you so talkative today, Prime," asked the Decepticon tyrant as he activated his energon mace.

"I guess it's because I was having a good day before you came along." Optimus moved in closer to his nemesis and swung at him, but his axe was only able to graze Megatron.

"Sorry for ruining it for you Prime, but that's just how wars go," replied Megatron with a right hook to Optimus' head. However, Prime responded with an uppercut to Megatron's jaw.

Despite the insistence of her guards to go seek shelter, Serenity was unwilling to see her people suffer and do nothing about it. She tapped into a darker side of herself and pulled out the Ginzuisho. With the queen's warrior personality released, her tone of voice as well as her patience changed dramatically. "All of you, I want you to follow my orders to the letter without question. I want half of you to go into the city and evacuate the citizens. I want the other half to search for any injured citizens. All of you are to refrain from engaging the enemy, is that understood?" Reluctantly, the guards followed their queen's orders, leaving her to fend for herself.

"Now, it's my turn to join in the fight," Serenity said to herself as a black upside-down crescent moon appeared underneath the golden crescent moon on her forehead. "Divinity Moon Power!" Four large silver wings shot out from her back as her outfit changed to a silver sailor fuku with gold bow on her back and a long staff with a crescent moon blade on each end. "Divine Sailor Moon," announced Serenity upon completing her transformation.

"Hey Starscream, look. The little fleshling wants to fight us," said the Seeker Thrust as he and his commander flew overhead.

"Well then, how about I show her the error of challenging a superior being," spoke the red and white Seeker while looping around and diving down towards Serenity. Unfortunately for the two Decepticon planes, Serenity showed them the error of challenging her when she cut off both of Starscream's legs and then shoved her bladed staff through Thrust's cockpit.

"Never mess with a Lunarian warrior. Especially when that warrior is a very pissed off woman," advised Serenity as she landed gracefully with her back turned to the two defeated Decepticons.

Optimus Prime and Megtron were so focused on fighting each other that they did not notice that their battle had lead them to the palace grounds, or they dismissed that part as irrelevant. However, that all changed when two of Megatron's shots hit the prison roof and wall. Suddenly, Optimus became aware of the screams of a young girl within the building. As his programming instructed him, Prime turned away from his opponent and dived into the collapsing building. Instinctively, the Autobot Commander found the frightened girl and the teenage boy shielding her, and covered them with his body. "Don't worry, you're both safe," said Prime to the two teenagers.

"The flesh creatures may be safe, Optimus, but you are not," said Megatron as he took the opportunity given to him to impale his hand into Prime's back. Optimus screamed in pain and fell on his side in order to protect Hotaru and Setsuna. "I would have waited an eternity for this," snickered Megatron as he aimed his fusion cannon at Optimus' head, "it's over Prime."


	3. Turning the Tide of Battle

Well, here's chapter 3. First, I'd like to thank Harpygirl91, Taeniaea, and Lil Angel for their reviews. I'm glad to see that Lil Angel really likes this story because she bothered to review twice. Unfortunately, I don't think I can fully grant her request of pairing Optimus and Serenity because I am an Optimus/ Elita fan. However, I am willing to compromise and I have something already planned for this. To find out what it is, keep on reading. Also, I want to point out that Setsuna has just become Queen of Pluto and is just starting to control her senshi powers. As for the fact that there are two characters named Setsuna, use common sense and I will be certain to differentiate the two when they are in the same area. Well enjoy and please review!

* * *

Chapter 3

Turning The Tide of Battle

Hotaru and Setsuna could only watch in horror as Megatron was slowly torturing Optimus to death. At first, the Decepticon Emperor of Destruction planned on killing his nemesis with a single shot from his fusion cannon, but he changed his mind when an evil idea came to his head. Megatron aimed the weakest cannon on his back and shot Prime several times through the sides of his body. "Is this all you've got Prime? What happened to that fighting spirit of yours that I respected so much?"

Using what little strength he had, Prime managed to get on to his knees. "Don't worry Megatron. I promise you that I'll put every bit of power running through my body into fighting you." Optimus struggled, but he was eventually able to get to his feet.

"That's good to hear Prime. This way I'll be satisfied when I kill you with my bare hands. Now come at me," taunted Megatron.

"As you wish," responded Prime as he ran towards Megatron in order to deliver his fist into his opponent's face. However, his reflexes were slow from damage and Megatron was able to dodge his punch with ease. The Decepticon replied to Optimus' attack with a spear hand to his enemy's upper torso. The Autobot Commander slumped to the ground as his enemy occupied himself by staring at the oil from Prime's internal components on his fingers.

"You disappoint me Optimus," said Megatron as he lifted his defeated adversary by the jaw. "Give my regards to Sentinel Prime when you join the Allspark (transformer's version of heaven)." Before he could deliver the fatal blow, the Decepticon leader was distracted when he was hit by two small energy blasts from below. He looked in the direction from which the attacks came from and became enraged when he saw Hotaru and Setsuna glaring at him with smoke fuming off the palms of their hands. "You pathetic creatures don't know your place," growled the Megatron as he shot several missiles from the pod located on his left hip. Fortunately for the two young teenagers, the blasts were deflected by Hotaru's shielding ability. The tyrannical warrior gritted his teeth in anger and started to move towards them, but he was sidetracked when he felt Prime's hand clasp onto his other hip-mounted missile pods.

"Now you've done it Megatron," said Prime in a menacing tone. However, the former gladiator found his foe's actions to be humorous and his words nothing more than empty threats. "You can attack me all you want; I have no problem with that. But when you attack organics, especially children, then I get angry." After shifting all of his power to his legs, Optimus sprang up and head butted Megatron right in the face. Despite his injuries and utter exhaustion, Prime took the time given to him by his last strike and aimed his fore-arm mounted guns at his enemy. The Autobot Commander gave the order to fire, but his guns were overheated.

"You'll pay for that Optimus," roared Megatron as he quickly recovered and went back on the offensive. However, he was shot in the hand before it could connect with Prime's face.

"Tsk, Tsk, Tsk. Typical Megatron, always pickin' on the weaker bots," said the Autobot Head of Special Operations and self-proclaimed cool guy, Jazz as he shook his finger at the Decepticon dictator.

"You've lost Megatron. Now step away from Prime and surrender peacefully," ordered Prime's Second in Command, Prowl.

On the opposite side of the city, Serenity wasn't holding out so well. She'd taken out the Insecticons and the two remaining Coneheads, but her problems started in the form of the combiner Menasor and Starscream's estranged clone brother, Sunstorm. "You disgusting abomination, how dare you lay your defiled hands on my brother," shouted the over energized Seeker as he fired streams of electromagnetic energy at Serenity.

"Great, a psycho and a religious fanatic in the same package," muttered Sailor Moon (note that all except for one of the princesses have not acquired their senshi powers, not including individual powers) as she jumped away from the energy streams. Unfortunately, all of her dodging directed her right into the clutches of Menasor. At the moment, Serenity wanted to slap herself for not being aware of her surroundings, but she didn't have a free hand to do it. As the combiner's grip tightened around the Moon Queen, she struggled, but with more of an intent to position herself in order to conserve oxygen instead or getting free. The fact that Serenity was not screaming bloody murder irritated the combiner and proved to be too much for his simple processor to comprehend. "Please let go of me before something bad happens to you," she said to Meansor sweetly, mainly just to piss him off.

"Like what pathetic worm," countered Menasor, unaware of the pain he was about to go through.

"Mars Star Fire Shot," shouted a new comer as he released five flaming arrows simultaneously into the individual components of Menasor. The Stunticon leader Motormaster looked in the direction of the attack to identify their new opponent. What the Decepticon brawler saw was a man in crimson O-yoroi armor wielding a large flaming bow. "I suggest you leave this place at once, because I am not as kind of an opponent as Serenity." He pulled out an oriental designed musket and aimed it at Motormaster. "Queen Serenity, return to the castle and protect Usagi, Rei and the other girls. I will dispose of these ruffians." He shot a fire ball at Motormaster and obliterated most of the right side of his body.

"Thank you, King Stratos of Mars, I am in your debt," replied Serenity with a bow. She spread her silver wings and prepared to take off until Sunstorm blocked her way. However, he was quickly dealt with by a huge bolt of lightning, courtesy of King Odin of Jupiter.

"Do not worry about your daughter and the other girls; someone is already tending to them. Go and assist your large robot friend." The ruler of Jupiter was successful in drawing Sunstorm's attention away from Serenity so she could make her exit. Enraged by the interference, the over energized Seeker fired a bolt of lightning at his new enemy, but the attack was absorbed by Odin's hammer and shot back with double the force.

Palace Garden:

Usagi and her four closest friends were having a hard time fending off the unexpected decepticon onslaught. They were doing fairly well for girls whom just discovered their powers, but that was not enough to oppose the attacks from Soundwave, Dreadwind and Darkwing. "What are these guys," shouted Makoto as she used some of her powers to create a barrier of earth.

"I have no clue, Mako, but I have no intention of going out there to find out," responded Minako. Unfortunately for the girls, they were also going to have to defend themselves against the vicious Ravage and his companions Overkill, Slugfest, and Beastbox. "Well girls, it's been a pleasure knownin' ya," said the princess of Venus as she readied her chain.

"Don't give up all hope just yet, Minako," replied Ami, not bothering to look up from her miniature computer. "Help will come if we just hang on."

"I'd like to know when," nagged Rei. She was irritated that her attacks were doing little more than repelling Ravage and his allies.

Eventually, the Decepticon cassettes found away around their foes' defenses. However, Ravage was intercepted by the Autobot cassette, Steeljaw. Slugfest made a hasty charge towards the princesses and suffered the consequences when he ran straight into a force field. "That'll teach ya not to be headstrong, you disgusting little reptile," sneered the bot responsible for the force field, Trailbreaker.

"Hey Soundwave, quit pickin' on the little ones and fight me if ya want some fun," challenged the Autobot communications officer, Blaster. Soundwave, upon seeing his hated rival, accepted his challenge and the two communication bots released the rest of their cassette armies.

"Are you girls alright," asked the Autobot defensive strategist, as he condensed his force field. "My name is Trailbreaker and I'll be your protector until this melee is over." At least his cheerful attitude made Usagi and the others feel a little comfortable, despite the hoard of missiles exploding inches away from them. To make matters worse, the Duocons Flywheels and Battletrap came charging in, guns-a-blazing. However, they were dealt with quickly by Sideswipe and Sunstreaker.

"You better be grateful, Trailbreaker," scolded Sunstreaker as he took on his robot form, "I just got a scratch on my new paint job in order to save your tailpipe."

Trailbreaker, being the good natured person he was, laughed at his comrades demands. "Tell ya what buddy, how about I buy you a couple of rounds of oil once we take care of these Decepticons?"

Sunstreaker was about to turn down the proposition, but thanks to his brother's sharp wit, Sideswipe managed to stop him. "Sounds good Trailbreaker, now let's kick some aft!" The three Autobots formed a protective circle around the princesses, protecting them from Decepticon reinforcements. Yet again, the tide of the battle was changed with the appearance of three new combatants.

"Mother," said Ami and Minako simultaneously upon recognizing two of them. The third person was not a parent, but all five of the princesses noticed her immediately.

"Who in Primus are you," roared Battletrap, who was quickly silenced when his head was cut off by Queen Marishi (named after Marishi-Ten, the Japanese goddess of light) using her kursarigama.

"That is punishment for attacking my daughter," said the Queen of Venus bluntly. The woman standing besides Marishi chuckled slightly thus gaining her allies' attention. "May I inquire what is so funny?"

Queen Anahita of Mercury stopped her laughing and smiled at her good friend. "You seem to be rather talkative today, Marishi." The woman bearing the title of Sailor Mercury waited for her friend's response, even though she was well aware of Dreadwing (Dreadwind and Darkwing's combined mode) speeding towards her from behind. "Is it because you are finally able to return to the battlefield?" The younger senshi readied her weapon in order to fend off Dreadwing, but she was stopped by Anahita. "Relax Setsuna, and have faith in your comrades. We are here to fight along side you." As if it were on cue, Dreadwing started to suffer multiple system failures and plummeted to the ground.

"It's just like you to hack your enemy's technology and disable it," commented Marishi with a smirk.

"Of course, you know I despise violence," answered Anahita, whose eyes were fixed on her second victim, Soundwave.

Outside the Prison grounds:

Jazz and Prowl were finding it difficult to land a serious blow on Megatron. They received assistance from Hot Rod and Arcee, but it still wasn't enough to take down the Decepticon overlord. The four Autobots could only keep him distracted from Optimus. "Fools, how long do you intend to annoy me," roared Megatron as he shot at Jazz, and barely missed.

"Until you give up, Megatrash," answered Hot Rod before slamming into the Decepticon leader. Megatron attempted to grab Hot Rod, but the young Autobot was too fast for him.

While all of this was going on, Prime was struggling to maintain consciousness. He was appreciative of Hotaru and Setsuna's efforts to help him, but they could do nothing significant for him. However, that was about to change with the arrival of Serenity. "I'm glad to see you are still functioning, Serenity."

"Yes, I'm still alive, but you look like you are about to die unless we can get some help." The Lunarian queen made eye contact with the two youths and her implied message became clear. Hotaru agreed whole-heartedly and ran to her queen's side, but Setsuna just glared at her. Eventually, with a little pleading from the Saturian princess, he agreed to help, but he made sure to keep some distance between himself and Serenity. With the help of the three fleshlings, Prime was ready to get back into the battle. His timing could not have been more perfect, because Megatron was just about to vaporize Hot Rod.

"Megatron!" The Decepticon tyrant shifted his focus to Optimus. Much to Megatron's disbelief, Prime was stand with his right exhaust gun aimed at his head. Once he remembered Prime's weakened state, Megatron began laughing at his nemesis, not noticing Serenity was also on his arm with two wires gripped in her hands. "Burn," said Optimus as he fired a massive blast of energy that took out both of Megatron's arms and caused major damage to his sides.

"Curse you Optimus Prime," shouted Megatron as he tried to charge his enemy, but he was forced to stop when a blast of unknown origin struck right in front of him.

"That's enough Megatron. We have lost this battle so we must retreat." Just when things were starting to go good for Prime, it was all ruined by the appearance of the most dangerous Decepticon of all, Shockwave. "Relax Optimus Prime, this battle ends in your victory," spoke the one-eyed scientist as he gathered up Megatron and his two detached limbs, "but the war shall continue until the Decepticons are victorious." Shockwave gave the order to retreat to all of the other Decepticons and departed from the battlefield.

The five Autobots celebrated their victory for a short while, until another conflict reared itself. "Stay away from me you witch!" All eyes and optics were focused on Setsuna who recently slapped Serenity's hand away. "I hate you with every fiber of my being and I will not rest until your oppression of my people has ended with your death." The dark skinned boy ran away from everybody, leaving Serenity to wallow in her own tears.

"Don't worry, I'll bring him back," said Hot Rod as he drove away.

"Serenity, I didn't think you were the kind of woman to let those types of things get to you," said Prime softly as he tried to comfort her.

"That's not the problem, Optimus," she replied prior to moving closer to his audio processors. "The truth is… that boy is my son."


	4. Black Relations

Hey, thanks for the reviews, Harpygirl91, Taeniaea, and Lil Angel. Mainly. I was expecting reactions like the ones I got, but if you read chapter 1 carefully, it's already mentioned it. Also, please refrain from hasitly judging characters, I have reasons for their attitudes. Well, enjoy and please review.

* * *

Chapter 4

Black Relations

Setsuna ran as fast as he could to get away from Serenity. He utterly hated her for the treatment given to his fellow clansmen of the Dark Moon, for the oppression done to them by the citizens of the White Moon, and most importantly, the death of his parents. "Damnit, I should have killed her when I had the chance," he cursed. He had the perfect opportunity, but for a reason that managed to escape him, Setsuna passed it up. No, he knew perfectly what his reason was; it was because Hotaru was there. Absolutely furious for his lack of action, the young resistance leader bashed his head against a tree several times. "Why could I not kill her," he screamed. "What does that girl mean to me?"

Fortunately for Setsuna, Hot Rod arrived and managed to get his attention away from self-destruction with little-to-no effort. "Whoa there buddy, calm down before you damage something."

"The tree's fine," replied Setsuna while he crossed his arms.

"I meant you," clarified Hot Rod, meeting Setsuna's tone with one of equal distaste. "Just come along peacefully so you can apologize to the lady and we can all continue living our happy lives."

"You've got to be kidding," said Setsuna, starring at the young Autobot with an eyebrow cocked. "If you knew what I and my people have been put through under that bitch's reign, you'd change your mind in a heartbeat."

"Try me."

Moon Kingdom, 2 days later:

Still heartbroken from her son's denouncement, Serenity could not find the courage within her to make the best decisions to relieve her people. What hurt her more was that she knew something like this would happen because of her decisions. Then there was the fact that there was nobody to consol her for at the moment. Her fellow monarchs knew well about Soran (Setsuna's true name), but they were busy with there own children. Serenity also knew that she could not reveal this information to Usagi or Hotaru so as not to crush their young hearts. Left without any other choices and desperate for somebody to help ease her pain, the Lunarian Queen decided to go to Optimus Prime, even though he was probably still in the Cryonic Regeneration chamber. "Could this day get any worse," she muttered followed with a sigh.

"A queen shouldn't mumble. It is just not proper." Serenity cringed upon hearing the voice of one of the people she would least like to see (If there is a moral to this story, it is that you never mutter "could things get any worse," because they usually will). "You risk weakening your image in the eyes of your people."

"King Titan of Saturn, it is very unlike you to come after a battle has concluded. The enemy has already been repelled without the assistance of your famous Saturn Elite Forces, so I see no reason for you to be here. Knowing you, I can safely assume you did not come here to see Hotaru, and even if you did, I would be compelled to deny your request."

"Please Queen Serenity, why would I waste my time to come visit that weak excuse for a daughter?" Titan's arrogance and audacity pushed Serenity past her limit. As a result, she turned towards the king of Saturn and with one continuous motion, slapped him hard against his face.

"How dare you speak down about Hotaru when she is a stronger and much better person than both you and your other two daughters!" Serenity reached down and grabbed Titan firmly around the collar. "If it were in my power, I would strip you of your power and exile you from this solar system. Maybe then, the constant fear of the people of the Dark Moon Clan would settle down and we can enjoy true peace. "However, because of your declaration to force all of them onto that piece of crap you call a planet, we have resistance groups forming and unnecessary blood being shed!" She let go of Titan's neck and quickly turned her back to him. "Besides, I still believe it was your fault that Queen Nine lost her life and Hotaru was raised without a loving mother." Serenity walked away, leaving Titan to tend to his sore neck.

Serenity calmed herself before entering the makeshift headquarters set up by Wheeljack and Grapple. As she anticipated, Prime was still in the CR chamber, but the condition of the Autobot commander was far worse than she expected. The Lunarian queen sighed and turned back to the entrance. "I thought this would be the case," she mumbled.

"Is there something on your mind, Serenity?" Startled by Optimus' voice, she spun around to the CR chamber, but only became more confused when she saw Prime's body was still deactivated. "Over here," said Prime from the speakers on his trailer. "I take it that you are confused," he commented based on her baffled expression, "so allow me to explain. Because my trailer is a part of me, I can transfer my consciousness back and forth from my body and trailer. Now what seems to be bothering you?"

"I… I guess it's the events that took place just a few days ago." Serenity started to cry as she brought up the painful memories in her mind. "I always knew that Soran's reaction would be something to that extent if we were to ever meet, but I just didn't want to believe it. The fact is that I probably deserved it for being a terrible mother."

"I would have to disagree. Based on my observations of how happy your daughter is and how much she appears to love you, I would say you were an excellent mother," said Optimus.

"Thank you for the honest assessment, but Usagi and Soran are two completely different cases… all because I am a hybrid of the White Moon Clan and the Dark Moon Clan." Now, it was Optimus' turn to be confused and Serenity's turn to explain. "About five years after Usagi was born, her father died. As to be expected, I was heartbroken and sought comfort in the arms of a very dear friend of mine, Solaris Ibraham, a noble of the Dark Moon Clan. Well, certain events took place and I became pregnant with his child. At the same time, an attack of unknown origin was launched on the people of the Dark Moon, and they retaliated with ferocity, thus burning several towns of the Moon Kingdom. Using the attacks as an excuse, King Titan of Saturn initiated an operation to exile all members of the Dark Moon Clan to the planet Nemesis, which received overwhelming support from the citizens. To maintain the peace of the Moon Kingdom, I was forced to give Soran to his father so they could flee, and a lie that I had a miscarriage was given to the people." Serenity looked at the hologram of Optimus sitting beside her for a sign of sympathy, which is what she received.

"It must have been painful for you," commented Prime who understood Serenity's situation perfectly. However, he was unable to relate, thus making his task harder.

"The worst was yet to come. Within a few months, I received news that Solaris had become the leader of the resistance group and was recently killed in battle. My heart ached for his loss, but I was in more pain thinking about Soran's future and how this would affect him… I…"

"Queen Serenity, something terrible has happened… Something too horrifying to speak of," reported a Lunarian soldier. Upon hearing this, Prime recalled Wheeljack and ordered him to pull up a visual of the situation on Teletran-1. Serenity's eyes widened and the color drained from her face as she stared at the image on the monitor. "To complicate matters, Princess Hotaru has gone missing again."

It didn't take the Lunarian Queen long to figure out what was going on. "Find her now! If she is going to where I think her destination is, then Hotaru is in grave danger!" She watched the soldier give a brief bow and run off to relay his orders. "How could something like this happen?"

"Prime, we're getting a transmission from Hot Rod, should I patch it through," asked the Autobot scientist. With the request answered, Wheeljack punched in a few buttons and Hot Rod appeared on the monitor.

"Hot Rod, I want you to return to base ASAP. I have a feeling things are about to get nasty," ordered Optimus, only to see the young Autobot shake his head.

"Sorry Prime, but I can't follow that order. Not if the Autobots are going to side with the White Moon Clan." The statement from his young subordinate shocked Prime, but he maintained his cool and looked the teen in the eyes.

"So, I take it that you're at the scene of this recent catastrophe," incurred Optimus, who was trying to find out what exactly was going on in Hot Rod's processor. "And I assume that you believe that Queen Serenity gave the order?"

"That's right," answered Hot Rod.

"Do you have any evidence to support your accusation," inquired Optimus, hoping that this would force his subordinate to drop this crazy idea. However, no one would ever suspect what Prime was about to go through. Hot Rod nodded his head and linked his optics to Teletran-1. "Primus forbid! What in the name of all that is good in the universe happened here?"

The particular area that Hot Rod was looking at was a large drawing on the side of the mountain, done with the blood of women and children, whose bodies were piled underneath it. Optimus turned to Serenity for her input, but the queen was in worse condition than before. "If you want to know what that symbol is, Prime, then I'll tell you," Hot Rod instantly got Prime's attention. "That is the crest of the Royal Family of the White Moon Clan." Shocked, but more concerned for Serenity's current condition, Prime transferred his consciousness to his actual body and moved quickly to block the image from his friend's eyes.

"Wheeljack, get the queen out of here. Jazz, organize a search party and find Princess Hotaru quickly," Optimus instructed. "Hot Rod, you understand that you are about to commit an act of treason? So do you still intend on going through with it?"

"I do, Optimus, but I'd prefer not to fight you," answered the young Autobot.

"I was hoping you would say that. I've taught you well. Prime out." Optimus cut the connection to Hot Rod. He was saddened by the turn of events, but at the same time, he'd never been more proud of his student.

Endymion Crater:

Setsuna was absolutely horrified at the image before him. All the people he lived with, all of his friends, slaughtered like animals. He always hated the White Moon Clan for their oppression, but this was going too far. "Damn you, you black hearted witch," he screamed at the top of his lungs prior to falling over, crying. Setsuna was very tempted to pull out his knife and end his miserable life, but the desire to tear out the heart of the person responsible was stronger. Then, his anger flared when he noticed Hotaru standing in front of some bushes. "You," he growled as he grabbed the Saturian Princess tightly around the neck. "Now do you still think Serenity is a good queen," he shouted, placing his knife against her neck. "I am very enticed to kill you right here, but I couldn't live with myself if I did that." Setsuna let go of Hotaru and turned his back to her. "Go away, and never let me see you again," were his final words to her before he walked away.


	5. The Wreckers

Sorry for taking so long to update. I just finished finals and I've been working on my yard after a big storm last Wednesday. Anyway, I'd like to thank Harpygirl91, Taeniaea, Lil' Angel, and Cirex for their reviews. However, I did not appreciate the little exchange of insults that happened between Lil' Angel and Cirex, so I will warn you all that I will not tolerate any character bashing or bashing of other reviewers. Also I never said that I would not get rid of the possibility of a Serenity/ Optimus pairing, I said I'd be willing to compromise. I personally, am not used to a pairing of a Transformer with an organic ever since Takara fucked it up with the Kiss Player story. Don't be hasty to judge and just wait to see what I have planned. If you have to insult someone, then direct it to Starscream.

Starscream: What! How dare you! Even so, you'd never have this problem if you did a Harry Potter crossover instead. (Gets punched by Megatron)

Megatron: Either you're lying or you're stupid!

Starscream: I'm stupid, I'm stupid!

Me: (Stops Megatron) I have a better idea for somebody who can show Starscream the errors of his thinking. (Turns to readers) Enjoy the chapter.

* * *

Chapter 5

The Wreckers

Endymion Crater:

Setsuna was suffering from a mix of emotions coursing through his body at the same time. One part of him hated Hotaru and wanted her to suffer for her misguided faith in Serenity. However, the other part hated himself for making her cry. He couldn't bear the noise of her weeping so he decided to run to the nearest hut that wasn't destroyed. "God Dammit," he shouted as he punched the wall hard enough to make his hand start to bleed. With the pain distracting him from his own sorrow, Setsuna was made aware of the current weather conditions outside, and they weren't pretty. It was storming heavily and there wasn't any sign of it stopping soon. "Dammit, Hotaru's out in that weather," he cursed, pondering what his course of action should be. Officially, the princess of Saturn was his enemy, but at the same time, she was the only friend he had. "Hot Rod, I'm going to find Hotaru, I need you to find a sturdy cavern or something like that."

"Wait, Setsuna," responded Hot Rod, but his words went unheard because Setsuna was already gone. "Slaggit," cursed the young Autobot out of frustration. In the end, he decided to follow through with his ally's request and work from there. Besides, there was a chance that his reinforcements would arrive while he was out looking for Setsuna, and that wouldn't stand too well with a particular Autobot.

The rain was pelting hard on Hotaru's back and the extra weight added to her clothes by the water was starting to take a toll on her body. She began to curse herself for being weak, but it was really intended to punish herself for what happened to Setsuna and her inability to ease his pain. She was a Saturian, a warrior by birth, and even the heaviest of rain shouldn't prevent her from pressing forward. This was further emphasized by her memories of her two older sisters walking through hurricane type weather, still in full armor with a heavy burlap clothing underneath, and they were proceeding to their destination with no altered pace. "Why am I so weak," she criticized after taking refuge under a large tree. However, Hotaru's moment of self-pity was interrupted when she felt a very familiar piece of material cover her head. She knew who it belonged to, but she looked up anyway to see somebody standing over her. "Setsuna, why are you here?"

"We better get out of this weather before it gets worse," he said, intentionally avoiding her question. The statement made by the boy from the Dark Moon Clan was more of an order than a suggestion, because he just lifted her in his arms, regardless of whether she wanted to or not. As if to test his determination in getting Hotaru to safety, the storm shifted from heavy rain to large chunks of hail. It didn't alter the situation that much, just made Setsuna hold her closer to his body as well as made him groan a little more. "Shut up," he told her before a sound could escape her mouth. "Save it for when we get to shelter." Hotaru got the message clearly and waited till they reached the cavern that Hot Rod found for them.

"Why did you become my knight in shining armor again even though you said you never wanted to see me again," she asked Setsuna who had his back turned to her so she could change out of her wet clothes with some sort of privacy.

"Well, I," Setsuna started to say while he began to turn around to answer her properly. However, upon seeing her bare back, he quickly snapped his head to the ground and a little blush came to his face. "It's… not important," he finished. "Here, I got you some dry clothes from the remains of my village," now his face was completely red, which Hotaru took note of.

Hotaru wanted to laugh at Setsuna's shyness, but she couldn't bring herself to do it. After all, she was feeling the same way. It was the first, and hopefully the last for awhile, time she had to undress in the same vicinity as a boy, so she was quite embarrassed. Fortunately, Setsuna wasn't one of those perverted boys and he fully respected her privacy. As for Hot Rod, he was too busy typing something out on a little device that extended from his forearm. Despite being a bit uncomfortable, she was able to quickly get into the ragged, but dry skirt and blouse. Now that the moment of embarrassment passed, she decided to tend to Setsuna. "Now what part of you is hurt," she playfully whispered in his ear. He was startled and his reaction to her warm breath on his ear proved it. He jumped to his knees but stumbled forward and fell flat on his face due to the loss of equilibrium. "Are you alright," she managed to ask while fighting off the urge to laugh.

"Don't laugh at me," he said with a frown.

"I'm sorry, but I couldn't help myself," defended Hotaru as she kneeled in front of him. With her next move, she'd relieved Setsuna's hand from the task of tending to his injured forehead. Before the boy could figure out what the princess planned to do, she'd already placed a quick kiss on his wound. "That should make it better," she hid from him the fact that she had a healing touch, mainly because it'd ruin her fun (Hotaru is still the sweet, gentle girl we all know and love, but even she finds it fun to tease somebody, Setsuna in this case).

For two days, Hotaru and Setsuna were able to tend to their wounds and keep each other company. Unfortunately, Hotaru's fun time was cut short when they had unexpected visitors. "Hey love birds," said Hot Rod, unintentionally making the two youths blush, "I hate to spoil the love-fest, but we've got company." Curiosity kicked in to both Setsuna and Hotaru, guiding them to sneak up to Hot Rod's position in order to see exactly who their visitors were. They were none other than Jazz and Prowl

"Hey Hotaru, the game's over. We quit, so you can come out now," said Jazz with a taste of humor in his voice.

"Princess Saturn, please come out so we can end this waste of time," yelled Prowl with Jazz just giving him a blank stare. "What?"

"You're too stiff Prowl. If you keep that attitude up, she'll never come out," scolded Jazz.

"I guess I should go to them," said Hotaru, regretting that her time with Setsuna would have to come to an end. She yearned to stay with him and Hot Rod, but she didn't want to keep worrying Jazz and Prowl.

"Fine, we'll escort you out," volunteered Hot Rod as he gave her a thumbs up.

"Don't," Hotaru retorted, "I don't want either of you to get caught and go to prison."

"We'll be fine," replied Hot Rod. Setsuna hesitated at first, but he eventually agreed with his ally. Knowing that she was defeated, Hotaru climbed on the teenage Autobot's shoulder and Setsuna climbed on the other.

"Jazz, Prowl, over here," Hotaru yelled as Hot Rod came out of the cavern. Jazz approached them and, with a smile, extended his hand for her to jump on. "Sorry, I didn't mean to worry you."

"I'm just glad you're safe, lil' kitten. You really had all of us worried," Jazz told Hotaru as he placed her on his shoulder. "Thanks for takin' good care of her," he said to Hot Rod as the two shook hands, "but I'm still kinda upset about this whole you-breaking-away-from-the-Autobots thing. I just don't get it, kid."

"I understand Hot Rod's reasoning perfectly," said Optimus as he dropped from the sky. He landed, followed by Ironhide, Trailbreaker, Huffer, Warpath, Blaster, Inferno, Arcee, Blurr, Kup, Tracks, Hound, Wheeljack, Bumblebee, and finally Jetfire. "Unfortunately, I can't allow your course of actions to continue," finished Prime regretfully as he pointed his rifle at his former pupil.

Hot Rod smirked, making Prime aware that something was wrong and he quickly jumped back before a laser hit the ground where he previously stood. "Sorry, am I interrupting somethin'," asked a green and orange robot from the top of the mountain.

"Glad you could make it, Roadbuster," said Hot Rod with a sigh of relief. However, the thing that gave him comfort brought uneasiness to the other Autobots. If Roadbuster was here, then his comrades were also close by, and they seriously out-classed the others in terms of fighting skills. The special unit that was infamous for their fighting spirit and their lack of concern for rules, the Wreckers.

"Wreck and Rule," shouted the leader of the Wreckers, Springer as he dropped from the sky. Before Prime could react, he and his Autobots were facing gun barrels. Ironhide and Trailbreaker were disarmed by the triple-changer Sandstorm. Huffer was taken down by the bound-brothers Rack'n'Ruin. Warpath was held up by Whirl. Blaster was struggling to get out of an arm-bar courteously of Topspin, and Tracks was trying to get Twin Twist off his back. The biggest problem, literally, was Broadside who was keeping Jetfire in check. "Sheesh kid, you picked one heck of'va fight," joked Springer as he stepped between Hot Rod and Optimus.

"No kidding, I'm just glad you could make it," replied Hot Rod with a bit of laughter. "Hey Jazz, Prowl, Inferno, don't think I forgot about you guys." The three unguarded Autobots were now captured by the Headmasters Chromedome, Brainstorm, Highbrow, Hardhead, and their leader, Cerebros.

"Seems you called a few friends during our little time of separation," said Optimus to Hot Rod. The situation only got worse for him when Arcee, Kup, and Blurr decided to switch side. However, Prime had one last ace he had reserved for desperate times. "Unfortunately, I've called on a few of my friends as well. Silverbolt, get the Aerialbots together and form Superion," he ordered.

The five Autobot planes united to their super robot form and quickly broke the struggle for power. But even that did not last for long as the five worst Autobots joined the fray. They were none other than the Dynobots under the command of the battle-hardened Grimlock. "Me, Grimlock gone for several stellar cycles and Autobots already at civil war," said the mechanical tyrannosaurus rex as he looked at the scene before him with great disappointment. "Title of Prime definitely overrated."

"Which side should we pick, Grimlock," asked the Dynobot second-in-command, Swoop, all the while trying to hold back his friend Slag from jumping into the fight and beating on both sides.

If matters weren't complicated enough, the Autobot Matrix of Leadership started to act up from within Optimus' chest and broke free from its compartment. Then it split in half, leaving one part for Optimus and presenting the other part to Hot Rod. Both halves of the Matrix took their place in their respective carriers. Because Optimus had already been changed by the Matrix, his physical appearance was not altered, but the same could not be said for Hot Rod. In a brilliant flash of blue light, the young Autobot was converted into a taller, stronger being. "I am Rodimus Prime," he announced as he stood up.

Silence dominated the area for some time as all of the witnesses tried to overcome the shock caused by the recent events. Not surprisingly, it was Grimlock that broke the silence with his thinking out loud. "Two Primes, both with Matrix… Me Grimlock must choose." The Dynobot commander looked at each Prime multiple times before looking at the ground. "Me Grimlock decided," he announced as he looked at Optimus Prime. "Me like you least," he said as he back-fisted Optimus.

The competition of trying to intimidate the other side with superior forces was about to break out into a brawl if it weren't for the intervention of Hotaru. "Please stop! This area has undergone too much violence for a life time. If you want to fight, do it somewhere else and at a different time," she pleaded to Optimus and Rodimus from Jazz's shoulder.

"Agreed," said Optimus as he and Rodimus nodded in understanding. "Autobots, transform and roll out. We've lost this one."

Hotaru was set on the ground briefly before she was transferred to Prime's cab. "Bye Setsuna, it's been fun," she shouted as the Autobot convoy drove away. "We'll meet again in a better time."

* * *

Me: Sorry if the chapter seemed rushed. I had alot of things I wanted to include in this chapter and very little time to put it all in. Sorry about that. (Takes sip of drink while ignoring from Starscream's screams of pain) Are you sure you don't want in on the pummeling, Megatron?

Megatron: (Puts on sunglasses and takes a sip of his own drink) Nah, I'll have plenty of chances to beat the slag out of that insubordinate whiner. Besides, Grimlock is doing an excellent job.

Grimlock: Scream Screamer!

Me: Anyway, please remember to review!


	6. Setsuna, The Targetmaster

Sorry it took me a while to update. Thanks given to Harpygirl91, Taeniaea, Lil Angel, and Cirex for their reviews. Also, Cirex, to answer your question, the Autobots split up in The War Within: The Dark Ages Issue #1. Check it out in your local book store or if they don't have it, look up a summary on the Teletran-1 Wikipedia site. I decided to introduce the main, or at least one of the main, villain in this chapter. Also, Beryl will make her appearance in a few chapters. (Turns to Sixshot) Speaking of Beryl, where on Cybertron is she? She's supposed to be here today.

Sixshot: (Looking over clipboard) Her agent called and said she got sick from eating a fish.

Me: Where was the fish from?

Sixshot: Gulf of California.

Me: Figures

Random Fish: That is what you get for eating my brother, bitch!

Me: Okay then...Anyway, enjoy the chapter and please review. (Note, no insulting characters, meaning Setsuna)

* * *

Chapter 6

Setsuna, the Targetmaster

The Nemesis, currently located somewhere in Saturn's rings:

Most of the Decepticons were still recovering from their wounds, including Megatron. Because he was in such a bad condition, command of the Decepticon army was placed in the hand of their most brilliant mind, Shockwave. Unlike the majority of the 'Cons, which were either blood-thirsty or overly ambitious, he was calm and purely logical. This lead to a few insurgences which were quickly and harshly put down. "You know that we have the resources for a full-fledged attack on the Autobots thanks to the support of King Titan, but you still refuse to give the order. Why is that, Shockwave," asked Starscream with sarcasm in his voice.

In most cases, Megatron would get angry with the insubordinate Seeker and start bashing him against a wall, but Shockwave was not like Megatron at all. "I will not give the order because I do not trust the king of Saturn and I will not allow that pathetic fleshling to reap the benefits of our battles."

"And what brings you to that conclusion, o mighty Shockwave," questioned Starscream with even more sarcasm.

"Are your sensors so out-tuned that you cannot feel another presence manipulating events from the shadows?" The tall, purple Decepticon did not wait for a response, nor did he want one. "I will not permit any action that will cause damage to Cybertron. Therefore, I am placing you under arrest until I deal with this issue or Megatron returns." He left the Seeker behind, kicking and screaming, and returned to his laboratory to further his plans. "Now, I must find a way to stop the meaningless battles between the Autobots, so this darker force will not benefit…. Sixshot, are you ready?"

Endymion Crater:

"You sure this what you want Prime," whispered Grimlock into his communicator.

"Yes, Grimlock. I believe there is somebody manipulating these events from the shadows and I intend to bring him out into the light. I have no intention of abandoning Queen Serenity, but I also won't allow the annihilation of the Dark Moon Clan. So I want you and the other Dynobots to stay on Rodimus' side until this conflict is over. Make sure that no one suspects that I am working from the shadows or else the resolve of the Wreckers may decrease and the battles will become obviously fake. We have to make sure everything is perfect, is that understood? Or do you have any objections?"

"Objections?...Me get a chance to beat the slag out of you without getting punished and you're asking if me, Grimlock object?" This was the Dynobot commander's chance to relieve some built up tension between him and Optimus Prime in his language, the one of violence. "Grimlock out," he said as he cut the channel with the Autobot Supreme Commander. He turned to his second-in-command, Swoop. "Fun time," spoke Grimlock as he clashed his fist into the palm of his other hand.

The Xantium (the Wrecker's ship):

"Well, we've managed to get involved in another planet's affairs, commit an act of high treason, and pretty much piss off the other Autobots… Anything else you want us to do, Rodimus," asked Springer sarcastically, patting his new leader on the back. Rodimus, in turn, glared at his older friend and removed Springer's hand from his back.

"Now's not the time for your jokes, Springer. Thanks to us getting the support of Fortress Maximus, Optimus is probably going to call in Metroplex," Springer and Kup were surprised by how much Rodimus had matured from being simple old Hot Rod to the new leader of an army. "Therefore, we don't want to fight with them unnecessarily. Our objective is to protect the few members of the Dark Moon Clan from being shipped out, not to fight the Autobots. Is that understood," he asked loud enough for every one of his subordinates to hear. When he got the responses he wanted, Rodimus then lifted Setsuna so that he could be seen and heard by everyone in the briefing room.

"Last night, I received a plea for help by another set of my people gathered 200 kilometers outside of Mare Serenitatis. In their message, they stated that their location had been revealed to the White Moon army, so there is a chance that the army might try to subdue them. We've got to stop that, and I can only think of one way to effectively do that." After those words, Setsuna gave the "floor" to Rodimus so he could explain the strategy.

All attention was given to the red and orange Autobot. "We are going to divide our forces into two groups. One group, lead by Cerebros will focus on evacuating the people to a safe area. The other group, lead by myself and Grimlock will attack the Castle in order to relieve pressure from the rescue team. I'll go into the details 15 cycles before the operation."

Unbeknownst to Rodimus and his soldiers, all of their plans had secretly been recorded by an outside party, known as Ratbat. "Objective complete, Shockwave, returning to base."

Mare Serenitatis, 1 day later:

The sounds of alarms blaring woke Hotaru in an instant. She ran to the door of her room and flung it open, only to be pushed back in. "Sorry Princess, but we have orders to keep you in your room until this commotion is over," said one of two guards blocking her path.

"What commotion, are we under attack from the Decepticons," asked the Saturian Princess out of concern.

"No, it's a rogue group of those damn Dark Moon savages and their Autobot sympathizers," answered the other guard. His answer pierced Hotaru's heart like a dagger. Setsuna was definitely not a savage, neither were his people. However, he wasn't here to defend his honor, or so she thought.

"Take that back," Hotaru ordered, much to the surprise of the guards. "I will not tolerate such talk about a group of people trying to live their lives in peace and freedom!"

"Yes, Princess Saturn, we retract our statements about the Dark Moon Clan," answered both of the guards, even though they were lying. Their lack of sincerity would prove to be fatal as an explosion of the palace wall across from Hotaru's room sent shrapnel flying towards the two soldiers (ain't karma a bitch).

Hotaru was horrified at the sight of both men dropping to the floor, one of them missing his head. She turned to the source of the explosion and noticed something glistening in the smoke. It was metallic, that was her first assessment, and she was right. The thing hidden by the mixture of smoke and dust proved to be a black and silver robot about six or seven feet tall. "Who are you," her voice filled with anger and fear.

"I guess we are destined to keep meeting like this, Princess Hotaru of Saturn," said the robot, deliberately ignoring her question. Its voice sounded awfully familiar to Hotaru, despite the machine-like tone used to hide his true voice. "Even still, please refrain from getting in my way," he requested as he walked by the princess, after patting her on the shoulder.

All it took were those few words for Hotaru to figure out the identity of the robot. "Setsuna, no," she whimpered with tears coming to her eyes.

Outside the palace, the battle ended up turning into a large brawl between the Autobots and the Wreckers. The Lunarian soldiers quickly found themselves unable to compete with the large Cybertronians, so they decided to fall back to the castle, much to the relief of Optimus Prime. Now he was able to focus on the enemy in front of him instead of having to worry about the safety of the smaller creatures in the vicinity. "I am very disappointed in you Rodimus," he said as he punched the younger Prime in the face, sending him hurling to the ground. Immediately, Optimus followed through with a tackle to pin down his opponent. "I thought I taught you better," he spoke angrily, delivering several blows to his former student.

"This battle is out of necessity," responded Rodimus Prime. He managed to break free of Optimus' hold and sent a devastating kick to his teacher's stomach. "This is the only way we can insure our objectives can be fulfilled." The younger Prime placed his hands around the older Prime's head and drove it into his knee.

Optimus stumbled back before regaining his balance and shifted his focus to fighting a defensive battle. "What do you mean by fulfilling your objectives? Don't tell me you plan to… Oh no, Serenity!" With new found motivation, Optimus once again changed his strategy to offensive and launched a series of attacks that left Rodimus temporarily immobile. Instead of finishing his opponent, Prime transformed and made tracks to the palace throne room. "Sorry Rodimus, I don't have time to play with you anymore!"

The younger Prime realized Optimus' concern and started to worry as well. "Setsuna, I'm coming so please don't do anything stupid," Rodimus prayed as he transformed and followed behind Optimus.

Throne Room:

Serenity glared sternly at her assassin as he lay to waste the last of her guards. "Why are you doing this? I demand to know," she yelled at the small transformer.

"Why am I doing this," he repeated prior to dropping one of the guards from his grip. "I am doing this to gain freedom for my people who you have oppressed." Setsuna waited until he was standing right in front of the queen before he removed his helmet so she could get a clear look at her killer's face. "Mainly, I'm here to get revenge for my friends and family that you had slaughtered," said before placing his helmet back on and transforming into his gun mode. "Good bye tyrant!" Setsuna charged up his energy to blast Serenity into oblivion, but his shot was blocked and subsequently ricocheted back to him. The blast forced Setsuna back and also made him transform. "Who the hell…," Setsuna's question was cut short by the same large white hand that blocked his attack grabbing him tightly. The owner of that hand used his other one to grab Serenity before she could attempt to escape.

"Sixshot to Shockwave, objective complete. I'm ready for the space bridge," spoke the Decepticon super weapon into his communicator, yet unaware that his words had reached the ears of four unexpected people. The first to react was Usagi, who burst into the throne room, much to her mother's dismay. She too was captured by the six-changer before he entered the portable space bridge. The next two were Optimus and Rodimus, who arrived too late to save the hostages. "Serenity, Usagi!... no," shouted Optimus as he made a leap for the portal.

Suddenly, Grimlock burst through the castle wall and pushed Optimus aside. "Don't worry, me Grimlock save troublesome flesh creatures and kick Decepticon aft!"

* * *

Preview: Serenity, Usagi and Setsuna are forced to work together in order to survive a deadly ordeal set up by Shockwave when he releases Sixshot on them. However, there is an unexpected factor added to Shockwave's equation, Grimlock!


	7. Shockwave's Deadly Solution

Hey again. As usual, special thanks go out to Harpygirl91, Taeniaea, and Lil Angel for their reviews. Well, I have to admit that this was my favorite chapter to date. Relations will be restored, secrets will be admitted, and sparks will fly, along with shrapnel! I hope you all enjoy reading this chapter as much as I enjoyed writing it! Enjoy and please review.

* * *

Chapter 7

Shockwave's Deadly Solution

Usagi woke to a very strange environment. The rough, rocky surface and the lack of vegetation suggested that she was on some sort of asteroid, yet she was able to breath. This mystery got the gears in her head moving, but her focus was shifted to another dilemma, that of getting home alive. "Where am I," she asked rhetorically.

"Good question," the blonde princess spun around just to meet twin gun barrels aimed at her face. Fortunately, the gun's wielder decided to lower his weapon, thus sparing her life. Usagi was terrified when she recognized that her company was none other than the person who tried to assassinate her mother. However, he showed no interest in killing her and even advocated it by pressing two buttons on his wrist and removing his armor. Her terror was converted to surprise when it became obvious to her that the assassin was a teenager about three years younger than herself."I suppose you understand the situation we are in," said Setsuna, allowing Usagi to "get her head out of the gutter," so to speak.

"Yes, of course, but who are you?" Usagi was curious about the young man. His wild black hair, red eyes, and clothing matched the description of the boy Hotaru was bragging about. However, the Saturian Princess left out the part that he was a member of the Dark Moon Clan. Could he be the boy that her young friend fell in love with, or so Usagi presumed.

"Why do you ask," he questioned, unable to figure out what relevance the blonde's question had to their current predicament.

"I was just curious," Usagi answered softly, a bit ashamed of prying into his business.

"Setsuna F. Seiei, leader of the Dark Moon Clan resistance movement on the moon and second-in-command of the Wreckers," informed Setsuna while he tried to climb up to higher ground. Usagi frowned as she watched him move away from her, mostly because she didn't want to be left alone. But what reason did he have to keep her around? It was a miracle that he was letting her live. After all, she was the daughter of his enemy. However, her train of thought was cut short when a rope, made up of Setsuna's shirt and jacket, was lowered down to her. "Hurry up and grab it, or do you want to be left here?"

Not foolish enough to let this offer slip by, Usagi grabbed the makeshift rope and waited for Setsuna to pull her up, of course she did what she could to help. Upon reaching the ledge of the high ground, she arrived just in time to see the red eyed boy drop on his butt and pant out of exhaustion. Understandably, the Lunarian Princess couldn't help but laugh at the boy. She noticed the glare he was giving her and decided to speak before he could put his thoughts into words. "I'm sorry, but you look so much like Hotaru when she gets tired that it's funny," she confessed, making him blush from embarrassment.

"What makes you think I know this Hotaru person," Setsuna asked, hoping that the Saturian Princess didn't say too much about him.

"Sure you know her. She's been bragging about you all the time. The "man of her dreams," so to speak," answered Usagi, making him blush even more.

"Did she really say that," the boy inquired, trying to hide the happiness he was feeling. The nod from Usagi confirmed his query. "Don't laugh at me," he snapped, causing Usagi to do the exact opposite of what he wanted her to do.

Other side of the asteroid:

In her quest to find her children, Serenity happened to stumble across the transformer responsible for stranding her on this asteroid, Shockwave. "What do you intend on gaining from this, and why did you choose such a holy place to do it," the Queen inquired angrily.

"I am simply creating a solution to a problem of utmost concern," replied the one-eyed Decepticon. "As for this place, I was unaware that it was holy to you and your people, but that is of little importance."

"BULL SHIT! This is a holy shrine to Sailor Solaris, the very first senshi of this solar system! Of course it's important," Serenity roared, losing her temper for about the fifth time in her life.

"Silence fleshling," ordered Shockwave, not willing to listen to her petty complaints. "An outside force is harvesting the energy produced by the hatred between the White Moon Clan and the Dark Moon Clan. Because I have reason to believe that it will become a threat to Cybertron, I intend to stop it."

"How," asked Serenity. She was being extremely cautious around Shockwave not just because he abducted her and her children, but also because of the badge he wore on his left shoulder.

"You are the leader of the White Moon Clan while your son is the leader of the Dark Moon Clan. I will force you to put aside your differences in order to achieve a common goal." Shockwave's way of wording frightened Serenity, but she refused to show it.

"What would that be?"

"Survival," answered Shockwave coldly before flicking his wrist. That motion, which seemed irrelevant at first glance, served to be a signal for his plan to begin. "Sixshot attack!" Immediately, a large white, green and purple wolf jumped out of the shadows, threatening to crush Serenity if she didn't move.

"You've got good reflexes, just like the others said. Now, I wonder if you fight as well as the other Decepticons claim. Either way, try to make this fun for me," instructed the metallic canine prior to biting at her.

"Be careful what you wish for, Decepticon scum. It may be too much for you to handle," Serenity responded with an evil grin on her face (whenever she is in a combat situation, Serenity's Dark Moon blood kicks in and she tends to become a bit more sadistic). "Moon Divinity Power," she chanted, allowing her to become Sailor Moon.

Area where Usagi and Setsuna are:

The part that Shockwave failed to mention to Serenity is that Sixshot wasn't the only Decepticon involved in this operation. The triple-changer and infamous bully Octane was the other accomplice and was having the time of his life chasing Setsuna and Usagi. "That's it pathetic flesh creatures, run for your lives. It just makes this more fun for me," he taunted while firing several burst from his gun. Because he always enjoyed picking on those who were weaker, smaller, or just unable to defend themselves, Octane decided to let his hunt drag out as well as focus all of what little attention he had. That was a big mistake, as the triple-changer would soon find out.

In a matter of seconds, the Dynobot Grimlock came out of his ambush spot and clothes-lined Octane. He then proceeded to stomp the bully into the ground. "You… are… a… pathetic… excuse… for… a… warrior," said Grimlock, taking breaks between each word to stomp his victim further and further into the ground. By the time the Dynobot was finished, the Decepticon triple-changer was offline with a large hole right below his spark container. "Now what, huh, Now what," yelled Grimlock before walking away, then stopping and going back to Octane's lifeless corpse, "Bitch!"

Usagi just stared at her rescuer with her eyes wide and her mouth agape. However, Setsuna just walked up to the Dynobot with a smirk on his face. "I had a feeling that if anybody was going to save us, it'd be you." In response to Setsuna's statement, Grimlock transformed to his tyrannosaurus mode and allowed Setsuna to get on his head.

"It because you fleshlings so troublesome that me Grimlock have to save you," muttered the metallic dinosaur before eating Usagi and spitting her out on his back. "Now we find way to go home," he said to no one in particular. The Dynobot stood still for some time trying to think of as many options he had, even though thinking was not necessarily his strong point. As if fate pitied Grimlock, an explosion from a nearby area helped him make a decision. "Me Grimlock see explosion. Explosion means battle and battle be where me Grimlock want to go. So we go," he stated, not giving any room for debate.

Due to the fact that Grimlock was originally a Decepticon, he always craved battle, it was settled deep within his programming and he had no intention of changing. He was extremely pleased with the fruits of his curiosity when his opponents became recognizable to him. His long time nemesis Shockwave and the Decepticon's ultimate soldier Sixshot were right in front of him. What more could he ask for? Being the impatient bot he was, Grimlock shook Usagi and Setsuna off of his back and charged head-first into the frey. "Hello Sixshot," he said before bringing his fist down on the robotic wolf's head. "Me here to kick your ass and send what remain of you to junkyard."

"Good luck with that, Autobot," growled the six-changer as he transformed and tackled the Dynobot. Further more, he delivered several hard punches to Grimlock's face, but that wasn't enough to keep him down.

"Don't compare me Grimlock to weakling Autobots," he said, grabbing Sixshot's head and crashing it against his own. "Me Grimlock am Dynobot!" He pulled out his energon sword and stabbed at the ninja (when Takara started showing their Transformer series, they made Sixshot the Decepticon master ninja, so I decided to incorporate it in this story). One of his thrust successfully pierced the Decepticon's side, but Sixshot took advantage of the situation and disarmed Grimlock.

"This is getting to be fun," said Sixshot as he crushed Grimlock's sword and threw the remains to the side. The two combatants charged each other, eager to mash the other's head underneath their own feet.

Thanks to Grimlock's intervention, Serenity was relieved of one of her problems, but she was two more in exchange. Now she had to worry about the lives of both her children instead of just herself. That meant no more running from Shockwave, not necessarily what she wanted to do. She came to a halt and spun around to face the purple cyclops. With her weapon tight in her hand, Serenity spread her wings and charged Shockwave, only to get swatted away like a measly insect. "Damn it, I knew that wouldn't work," she cursed, messaging her lower jaw. She dared not stay in one place any longer than three seconds because she had no intention of being vaporized by Shockwave. However, the Lunarian queen found herself in a predicament where her only choices were to endanger her children or get involved in the battle between Grimlock and Sixshot. "I haven't been under this much pressure in a long time," she said to herself with a little chuckle. Fortunately and unfortunately, her mind was made up when fragments of rock were sent flying towards Usagi and Setsuna thanks to Shockwave's attack.

Instinctively, Setsuna grabbed Usagi around the back of her neck and forced her down with his body providing cover for her. "Damn, I don't want to die like this. Not without telling Hotaru I love her," he cursed, with his eyes shut close.

"You won't die, Soran. At least not if I have anything to say about it," promised Serenity as she placed her hand softly against his cheek.

Setsuna's eyes shot open and he immediately moved out of Serenity's reach. "Why would you want to save me," he shouted, not out of malice, but out of confusion instead. "And how do you know my real name?" Usagi heard the commotion and looked at her mother for answers as well.

"Why wouldn't I want to save my own son, especially after he's made me so proud," the Lunarian queen answered as she inched forward to her child and placed her hand back on his cheek as well as show him her own Dark Moon crest on her forehead. "Yes, Usagi, this boy is your younger brother," Serenity told her daughter prior to coughing up blood. The queen's wounds became visible to her children as she fell forward, revealing three large rock fragments embedded in her back. "The two of you need to watch over each other and protect one another," she instructed weakly.

"Mother, don't die," shouted Usagi, bursting into tears.

"That's right, don't you dare die before you clear everything up," added Setsuna, also on the verge of tears. However, the two teens' time of mourning would have to wait till after they managed to escape Shockwave.

Meanwhile, the battle between Grimlock and Sixshot was getting more and more intense. Both of them had lost their weapons and were proceeding to rip off parts of their own bodies to use against the other. Sixshot, armed with his own wing as a sword, was on the offensive while Grimlock was using the flap from the left portion of his back as a shield. Eventually Grimlock was able to push the six-changer back and used scraps of metal taken from his leg as throwing stars. A few of them successfully impaled Sixshot, but did not hinder him. In response to the Dynobot's attack, the six-changer decided to reveal one of his hidden weapons, his two gun barrels in his feet, used for his pistol and tank modes. He shot Grimlock in the arm, but that did not prevent Grimlock from punching him in the face with that arm. Sixshot returned the blow with his own punch, followed by a headbutt and several knees to the chest. Eventually, even the mighty Grimlock was overwhelmed and crumpled to the ground. "It's been fun, Dynobot, but now it's over," said Sixshot, about to deliver the final blow.

"Sixshot, stop," ordered Shockwave, surprisingly. "Our objective has been completed. Now we will return these fleshlings to the moon along with the Dynobot. Hopefully this will hinder the plans of whoever is manipulating these events." Shockwave picked up Serenity, Setsuna and Usagi and placed them on his shoulder before pulling out a remote control and sending orders to his ship. "I doubt this will be the end."


	8. A Time of Love and Joy

Hello again, everybody. I'd like to thank Harpygirl91, Taeniaea, and Lil Angel for their reviews. However, they weren't what I expected, so I'll be nice and relieve you all of your concerns. The fact is I can't have Serenity die without completely changing the story. Besides, Serenity, in this story, is like Optimus Prime in the fact that there is only one way to completely kill her (which I don't want to do), which is decapitate and spread the parts of her body across the galaxy. Otherwise, she probably won't die or stay dead. Also, as mentioned in this chapter, there is already a bond between Serenity and Elita-1. That will be explained in a three-shot I plan on doing about how she went from a farmer's daughter to Queen of the Moon. Until then, enjoy chapter 8!

* * *

Chapter 8

A Time of Joy and Love

Moon Palace:

Despite just barely escaping death thanks to the quick work of the palace doctors, Serenity gave no concern to the severity of her injuries. As far as she was concerned, being impaled by three jagged rocks in the back was not enough to prevent her from her daily exercises. Fifty pound weights on each leg and forearm weren't "overdoing it" as the doctor told her not to do. Heck, most patients would still be in bed two hours after surgery, but not this Lunarian queen. Sure, her back was hurting quite a bit, but she just needed to finish fifty more one-arm pull-ups. "Queen Serenity," shouted her most trusted advisor, who happened to just walk by the gym. The white-haired woman was shocked by the unexpected yell and lost her grip. For a few seconds, she sat in place, messaging her bottom which took the most damage from the fall, until her advisor came to her with a cloth to wipe the sweat off her face. "How many times must I tell you to take better care of yourself and not take so many unnecessary risks? You're injured for goodness sake," scolded Serenity's old friend.

"Calm yourself Luna, or you'll end up losing your fur at a younger age. Besides, my injuries are nothing to be concerned about, this is nothing compared to working the fields with a broken leg," said Serenity as she took a sip of her water bottle and petted the talking cat with her free hand.

"That's true, but now you are the queen of the Moon Kingdom, not just some peasant farm girl," replied the black cat as she stared coldly at her owner. "You may not realize it, but there are many people who care deeply for you and are concerned with your wellbeing. Just think about how Usagi would feel if you got hurt doing something so stupid, not to mention poor Soran who just discovered that you are his mother and only living family. Not to mention how the other monarchs, Artemis and I, or how Optimus Prime would feel," the cat's voice trailed off when she mentioned the Autobot commander's name.

"I understand Luna, but to protect those I love as well as my title of queen in this world, I have to maintain both physical and mental strength. To be weak is the same as asking to be killed in the nobility class," Serenity told her friend, now curled up in her arms. She didn't need to mention the name of the person she was thinking of when she spoke. Luna already knew that she had an image of that jackal in human flesh, King Titan, in her mind. "But I guess it wouldn't be too bad if I took a few days off to spend with my children." She lifted Luna until their eyes met each other's. "Would you mind taking care of things for some time," Serenity asked.

"Sure, but first, let me get some people to help carry you back to our room," answered Luna prior to freeing herself from Serenity's grip. The queen tried to protest, but a quick glimpse of Luna's extracted claws silenced her.

Different part of the castle, one of its many balconies:

Setsuna struggled with the rigid formal clothing he'd been put in, mainly the collar. "I'm starting to dislike the noble life more and more each day," he complained as he tried to take off the cravat wrapped tightly around his neck. Unbeknownst to him, he appeared more like a dog trying to remove its collar than a prince of the Moon Kingdom. But who could blame him? All the clothes nobles wore were definitely not designed to allow the body to breathe, unlike the thrown-together rags he was used to.

"What are you doing Setsuna," asked Hotaru, startling the struggling boy enough to make him jump at the sound of her voice. When he landed, Soran turned around and glared at the Saturian princess, who returned his look with an expression that was sweet and innocent. "What's wrong," she further asked, still completely oblivious to the fact that she probably knocked a few years off of Soran's life by scaring him.

Soran's impulsive nature urged him to yell the answer to Hotaru, but he couldn't bring himself to do it because of her child-like innocence. Upset and defeated, the son of Serenity sighed and shifted his eyes away from his friend. "Don't sneak up on me like that," he muttered, causing the poor girl to burst into a laughing fit. "What's so funny," he retorted, his face turning bright red.

"I'm sorry," Hotaru apologized between periods of laughter. "It's just that it's entertaining to see you trying to adjust to the royal life style." Setsuna responded by pouting and crossing his arms. Hotaru, seeing an opportunity, decided to act. "Let me make it up to you," she said before kissing him slightly on the lips. Again, Soran was caught off guard by the Saturian Princess and stumbled back until he came close to falling off the edge of the balcony (Hotaru-3, Soran-0). As her instinct instructed, she grabbed his arm and pulled Soran away from the edge. The Lunarian prince from the Dark Moon Clan (he is not the prince of the Dark Moon Clan) was unable to regain his balance and soon found himself laying on top of Hotaru, his face merely centimeters away from hers. "Um… Setsuna… Would you mind getting off of me, you're heavy," she asked sweetly after a few seconds of just looking into his eyes.

Once Hotaru's request registered in Soran's brain, he hastily scrambled off of the young girl and tried to get some distance from her. "Aw, Usagi's little brother is so cute at times like this," said Minako from the balcony above. This got the two younger teens to look up and see the other four princesses watching them as well.

"I wonder what Queen Serenity will say when she sees this," taunted Rei as she waved a photograph in front of Hotaru and Soran.

"Give that here," roared the black-haired boy prior to making a mad dash for the stairs to the upper balcony. In a matter of seconds, he was almost able to get his hands on the embarrassing picture, but the door was closed and locked by the princesses of Jupiter and Venus.

"That was mean Rei," whined Hotaru, still sitting on the floor of the lower balcony.

"I agree," said the leader of the Autobot subgroup, the Arielbots, Silverbolt. "Sure, he's got a temper and is a bit violent, but he's still got an image to keep up, and you girls aren't helping," scolded the Autobot jet, shaking his finger at them. "Now, let's all be nice and give the photo to the little girl." Silverbolt unintentionally made Hotaru more embarrassed, but nonetheless, helped her get her hands on the picture.

"For Primus sake, Silverbolt, the kids are just havin' some fun," said the Arielbot, Slingshot, "Why'd ya have ta go an' ruin it?"

"My reasons don't concern you Slingshot," answered Silverbolt, causing the other Arielbots to laugh at Slingshot for failing and for his reaction (he got served). "Come on Arielbots, we've got guard duty, so let's get to it."

Unaware of what was going on above them, the six girls and one boy were being watched by Serenity and Optimus. "Well, it looks like they're having fun," said the queen happily as she watched the children from her spot on Prime's hand. "On a different note, I hear you had quite the outrage when I was brought back here."

"That is true. I was very angry at Shockwave, almost as angry as the first time I fought with Megatron," admitted Opitmus, somewhat ashamed of his unprofessional actions. He planned on ending the discussion with that note, but Serenity urged him to tell the rest of the story. "When I first met Megatron, he was somewhat of a hero on Cybertron, mostly because of his undefeated record in the illegal gladiator games. One day, he happened to come around the shipping dock that I, my girlfriend Ariel, and my best friend, Dion worked on. At first, I was ecstatic at the chance of meeting him, but everything changed when he attacked Ariel and myself, leaving us to die, and eventually shooting Dion. Fortunately, all three of us were brought to a wise Autobot named Alpha Trion and he rebuilt us. I became Optronix, Dion became Ultra Magnus, and Ariel became Elita-1."

"Elita-1, huh," replied Serenity as she looked up at the sky. "I wonder how she's doing,"

"You mean to say that you know Elita," asked Optimus, shocked and confused.

"Yes, I met her fifteen years ago," answered the queen, "but you'll have to wait until after dinner to hear that story."

"That's not fair," muttered Optimus, distracting himself from Serenity's movements until she was right in his face. "What are you doing," he questioned.

"Well, if Elita is your girlfriend and since she's not here right now, I might as well take this chance to express my gratitude," explained the white-haired woman before kissing him on the face plate.

Two days later:

Soran was having mixed feelings about life in the Moon Kingdom. Sure, he was now considered a prince and was treated as such, but he could not rid his mind of some of the hateful looks he occasionally received. Not to mention he still had the trust of all of his own people that he could not betray. For the first time, Soran realized he was "walking on thin ice" and was responsible for changing the current feelings about the White Moon Clan and finding the true culprit that manipulated everything. The final result of his thinking was that he would have to leave his mother and Hotaru again, no matter how many ways he rearranged it. Upon returning to reality, he found himself in his mother's chambers, standing right over her. There was so much for him to say and so many questions he wanted to ask her, but those would have to wait for better times. "Sorry for everything," he managed to whisper between chokes and sobs.

Soran's next step in his plan was to find where his old clothes were located, which proved not to be a difficult task. He was just about finished with placing on his scarf when he caught sight of Usagi's shadow. "You intend to leave us now? Just after I learned that you are my little brother, why? Is there something that you dislike," asked the blonde princess on the verge of tears. Instead of leaving her to her sorrow, Soran decided to give his sibling some sort of comfort before departing.

"It can't be helped," he muttered, wrapping his arms around his sister. "I'm the leader of the Dark Moon Clan, so I cannot betray my people. I'll try to get them to change their views of the White Moon Clan, so that I'll be able to come back, but now is not the time. Good bye, Usagi… Thanks for being my sister." With that, he let her go and walked away "Please tell Hotaru I'm sorry," he requested before completely vanishing.

Usagi sat on the floor crying for a few minutes before she could gather the courage to watch her brother leave the castle. She stared out the window, waiting until she saw Soran ride away on a fully repaired Grimlock, with Ironhide and Wheeljack following close behind. When they were out of her line of vision, Usagi began the walk back to her room. "Good bye, Soran."

About half way to her destination, Usagi heard a beeping noise coming from Teletran-1. Since most of the Autobots were recharging, there was no one to fix whatever was going wrong with the computer. That is until Jazz came stumbling out of his quarters. "What's up, lil' rabbit? You wonderin' what ol' Teletran's fussing about too," he asked and she responded with a nod of her head. Humored by the girl's curiosity, Jazz lifted her up on his shoulder and proceeded to press a number of keys on the keyboard.

"Listen well to what I have to say, Autobot," stated a voice through Teletran-1's speakers. However, it was the image that appeared on the monitor that upset the two viewers the most. The being responsible for transmitting the message looked exactly like Optimus, except it was smaller, thinner, black, bore the Decepticon emblem on its shoulder, and was a femme (short for female Autobot or Decepticon). "I want Optimus Prime to meet me at the coordinates given at the bottom of the screen. I want him to come alone."

"And why should I tell him that," asked Jazz, already on edge because he was talking to a Decepticon.

"Because if you don't or Prime does not show up, then I will crush this pathetic Autobot's head and then kill off every Autobot I am holding prisoner," she threatened, holding Rodimus by the top of his beaten head. She also stepped aside to show Jazz the deactivated bodies of every Wrecker, including Fortress Maximus. "You have twenty cycles to get him here."

"Who are you," shouted Jazz, hoping to get an answer before the communication line closed.

The screen went black, but the unknown warrior was gracious enough to give Jazz his desired answer. "My name… is Nemesis Prime."


	9. Nemesis Prime

Hello. Special thanks to Taeniaea, Harpygirl91, and Lil Angel for their reviews. I really have nothing else to say, so enjoy chapter 9!. Read and Review.

* * *

Chapter 9

Nemesis Prime

Flashback:

"Hel, do you ever wish that we were like normal princesses," asked a woman with silky black hair, her dark lavender eyes stretching to the edge of their sockets in order to get a view of the older woman on the right side.

"Not at all," answered the older woman as she tightened the laces on her long black boot. "I enjoy my life on the battlefield. The life of a normal princess is something I shudder to picture myself in." The older of the two girls tied her black hair into a ponytail. She had the appearance of a twenty-seven year old and the build of a battle-hardened soldier. The tone of her skin and her hair color where identical to her younger sister, but her eyes were blood red. "I dislike that type of uneventful life as well as the compassion or utter selfishness that results from the life of a normal princess. Maybe that's why I do not really care for my youngest sister," she confessed. "What makes you ask such a silly question, Keres?"

"I guess I was just thinking about Hotaru and how she was doing," answered Keres, following with a little giggle.

"Figures, you always pampered Hotaru when we were younger. I almost considered calling her your daughter," responded Hel, indirectly making her younger sister choke on her own laughter. "I guess that thought has been bothering you for the past five years. I'm sorry."

"Why apologize, sister? It was not your fault we were forced to become our master's slaves. That was father's decision." The very mention of that dreaded day brought rushes of both anger and sorrow for the two sisters.

"I promise you this, Keres. I will defeat Optimus Prime and claim the Autobot Matrix of Leadership for myself. Then I will use its power to destroy our master, and then I will take revenge for the both of us on father. That way, we can return to our way of life before that day and you can pamper Hotaru as much as you please." Hel's voice was firm and angry, as expressed through the crushing of a stone in her hand upon mentioning revenge. "I will succeed, because I am Sailor Chaos."

End Flashback:

"I swear I will get revenge for your death, Hel, and I will fulfill your dream," muttered Nemesis Prime as she slammed her fist against the side of the mountain her back was leaning against. Clearly, she was in a bad mood, and it was getting worse every passing second that Optimus Prime did not show up. Nemesis never considered herself a patient being, and the anticipation leading up to her destined battle with the Autobot leader was building up to unbearable proportions. Without looking or leaving her train of thought, the black Prime grasped a falling piece of rubble about to hit her head and threw it at Rodimus. "Will you quit moving, it is really starting to aggravate me. So if you don't stop it, I will take you offline faster than you can relay a command from your processor."

"Sorry, did I hit a sore spot," taunted Rodimus, hoping that he could eventually cause Nemesis to lose her temper and give him a chance to escape. Well, things didn't work out the way he hoped and he ended up paying for it when Nemesis's foot was impaled into the side of his head.

"You should be more worried about the remaining two cycles you have before termination rather than my problems," snarled Nemesis as she lifted the young Prime by his neck.

Nemesis Prime was distracted from Rodimus upon hearing a loud roar and booming sounds of feet hitting the ground. "Leave him alone," shouted Grimlock as he charged Nemesis Prime with his jaws ready to decapitate her. However, Nemesis had a different plan and she started it by throwing Rodimus at the Dynobot. Grimlock was forced to transform into his robot mode in order to catch the young leader of the Wreckers, but by the time he'd set Rodimus off to the side, Nemesis was already waiting right in front of him. With a wicked smile under her face plate, Nemesis Prime unsheathed Grimlock's energon sword and lodged it deep into his chest. She stepped back moments before the mighty Dynobot slumped to the ground.

Moon Palace:

"Alright Jazz, tell me everything that you saw and heard in that message," ordered Optimus, praying that his subordinate just had a nightmare and nothing more.

"I'm tellin' ya Prime, this chick, Nemesis Prime, is strong… I mean she took down Fort Max for Primus sake! We have to hurry or we're gonna have a heck load of Autobots joining the well of Allsparks!" The situation was definitely bad. It must have been if it had caused a level-headed Autobot like Jazz to lose his cool. That in itself frightened many of the Autobots present.

"Prowl, how much time do we have till the deadline," Prime asked. He had to get control of the situation and mostly get his troops to calm down. Fortunately, he could always rely on Prowl to keep cool in almost any predicament. "Jetfire, have you tracked Grimlock's position yet or his supposed destination?"

"Not yet Prime. It's difficult tracking a bot as inconsistent as Grimlock," explained the scientist as he frantically typed at a side computer.

"I want coordinates, Jetfire, not excuses," replied Optimus as he sat down to plan his next move. "Hound, any word from our reinforcements yet?"

"No sir, but that's the least of our concerns now. Teletran-1 is detecting a swarm of Decepticons heading our way including Trypticon and Scorponok !" Optimus sighed and placed his hand against his forehead. Just what he needed, Megatron and his flunkies being added to his current pile of troubles. Now Prime was mentally torn in two. He was forced to choose between two unfavorable situations and which ever one he decided to act on, it was guaranteed that the other force would be annihilated. Fortunately, Prime was brought out of the conflict in his mind when he felt Prowl place a firm hand on his shoulder.

"I don't mean to usurp your authority, sir, but you should go save Rodimus and the others. We can hold our own against Megatron, or at least give you time to save them and get back here. Don't worry about us, it'll just be the same as when we fought the Decepticons at Iacon," reassured Prowl and many of the other Autobots, although most of them were scared to death.

"Thank you everyone, I promise that I will return with everybody safe and functioning. Until then, Prowl is in command." At the moment, Optimus couldn't be more proud of his Autobots, but now wasn't the time to express it. He transformed into his truck mode and started to rev up his engines.

"Wait Prime," ordered Serenity, even though she held no authority over him. "I'm going with you."

"No, you are staying here Serenity. It's too dangerous for you to come along. Besides, your people need you," said Optimus, hoping she would listen to reason.

Serenity glared at the Cybertronian truck with an anger that she would normally never show to anybody but her enemies. "My son needs me," she argued back. So much for listening to reason. "Usagi told me everything, so I know what's going on." Serenity managed to grab hold of Prime's exhaust shaft, but she was quickly pulled off by Prowl. "Let go of me, damn it!"

The tension in the air was broken by shockwaves produced by the bombing from the Decepticons. Prime decided to take advantage of it. "Thank you Prowl," said Prime as he began to roll away. "I swear I'll return with Soran alive and well, just wait for me." With that, Optimus drove out of the palace grounds at his maximum speed, filtering out all of Serenity's screams and words of anger.

"Hah, I've found you Prime," shouted Megatron as he dove out of the sky. "Now we finish our eon long battle!" The Decepticon Supreme Commander transformed and started firing repeated rounds from his main cannon.

Optimus was able to dodge each blast without slowing down or altering his path. "Sorry Megatron, I can't play with you now." This infuriated the Emperor of Destruction, causing his shots to be quicker and more random in direction.

"I will not be denied the satisfaction of extinguishing your spark, Prime," roared Megatron as he transformed and fired every weapon he had at his foe. He was completely determined on killing Optimus, and came close to hitting him with a fatal shot. For about several minutes, Prime was forced to perform energy-consuming evasive maneuvers. However, because Megatron was focused only on Prime, he was unaware of Jetfire until he was hit straight in the back of the head, slamming him face first in the mud.

"Optimus, hurry and climb on board," said Hotaru as she reached out to him while holding on for dear life to the side of Jetfire's opened his cargo hatch. "You don't have much time until Rodimus and the others are finished." As soon as Prime was completely in the Cybertronian carrier jet, Jetfire pushed his thrusters to their maximum power and sped off in Nemesis Prime's direction.

"What are you doing here Jetfire and why did you bring Princess Hotaru along," questioned Prime, angry with the scientist for involving the girl.

"I asked him because Setsuna is important to me and I want to protect him," answered Hotaru firmly as she tightened her fists.

"Astrotrain, follow them," barked the enraged Megatron as he lifted himself off of the ground. "Starscream, you are in command of things over here, is that too much for you?" For a brief second, the optics of Megatron and his treacherous second-in-command met.

"Of course it is not, Mighty Megatron. Just leave the battle to me while you go and retrieve the head of Optimus Prime," answered the Seeker as he took several shots at the enemy artillery.

Endymion Crater:

Nemesis, after a long period of meditation, opened her optics and stood up. "Finally, he comes to me," she said to herself. "At last, I can get revenge."

* * *

Preview: At last, Nemesis Prime will battle Optimus for her revenge. However, Megatron is not about to sit by and watch his bitter enemy be destroyed by another Decepticon. And Hotaru will finally learn the horrifying truth about the fates of her two older sisters.

Meanwhile, the battle between the Autobots and Decepticons at the Moon Palace is not looking good for Prowl. That is until he receives back up from Queen Pluto and the newly awakened Sailor Uranus and Sailor Neptune, plus support in the form of Ultra Magnus and his Autobot crew!


	10. The Tragic Truth of Nemesis Prime

Here's chapter 10! Before that, I'd like to thank Harpygirl91, Taeinaea, Lil Angel, and Cirex for their reviews. Also Cirex, thanks for the "correction" (not necessarily what it is, but I can't think of the word for it), but I already knew about the existence of Nemesis Prime. There are actually over nine Nemesis Primes, not including the ones from Siebertron's Heavy Metal Wars game, which is where I got some inspiration for mine. And to be perfectly honest, I am very proud of my Nemesis Prime. (note, this is not meant to be sarcastic or critical, or whatever.) Anyway, please enjoy chapter 11 and review.!

* * *

Chapter 10

The Tragic Truth of Nemesis Prime

Endymion Crater:

Nemesis Prime waited impatiently for Optimus to arrive. She had waited several long dragged-out years for her chance to crush his spark with her own hands. Until then, she had to put up with the sounds of Setsuna trying to free himself from the energon binds she'd placed around him, Ironhide, Wheeljack, Rodimus , and Grimlock. "Stop that infernal racket," she roared at her Autobot captives.

"What do you intend on gaining by keeping us prisoners," asked Wheeljack angrily.

"Hey Wheeljack, it's best not to get on her bad side. Believe me, I'm speaking from personal experience," said Rodimus, in a desperate attempt to prevent the Autobot scientist from losing his life.

The smaller, black version of Optimus glanced at Rodimus then smirked. "Your young friend is wise because experience has taught him not to cross me. However, since none of you will live beyond today, I might as well tell you what I have planned. That way you can be at ease knowing that you will not die in vain," said Nemesis before breaking into a fit of maniacal laughter. "I intend to gain revenge for my sister by killing Optimus Prime, take the Autobot Matrix of Leadership, use it to gain freedom from my master, then lead the Decepticons to total domination of the universe."

Once Nemesis finished announcing her master plan, Rodimus couldn't resist from laughing, much to her annoyance. "Apparently, there are a few glitches in your master plan, Nemesis Prime," said the young leader of the Wreckers in between laughing spurts.

"As in," growled Nemesis, ready to de-spark Rodimus in the next second.

"The first problem is that no matter how many Autobots you kill, there will always be more to stop evil psychos like you. Second, you haven't gotten _his _permission yet," finished Rodimus as he motioned to the person standing behind Nemesis.

Nemesis looked behind just to see Optimus cracking his metallic knuckles. "Hello Miss," he said prior to punching Nemesis square in the face. He sent her flying towards the mountain, but he didn't wait for her to crash before he began his second attack with his assault rifle. He fired eight rounds at Nemesis Prime, all of them were direct hits. "I don't know what type of grudge you hold against me, but I will not allow you involve innocent lives in your revenge plot." Prime was serious and he was angry.

"You say that as if you had a choice in the matter," responded Nemesis as she sprinted out of the cloud of smoke, grabbed Optimus by the face, and slammed him into the ground. "You have no right to tell me what to do, Optimus Prime," she snarled, "Especially when you took away the last thing I could truly consider my own." (Read The Battle of Chaos to know what's going on) She stepped down on Optimus' back and materialized a spear-like weapon with her right hand. "This is the weapon that will end your pathetic life, Prime. Its name is the Silent Glaive, remember it well."

The black prime thrust her blade down at her enemy's head, but Optimus narrowly dodged it. Since he was given a few precious seconds to counterattack, Prime pushed up, forcing Nemesis to lose her balance and stumble back. Immediately he retracted his right hand and activated his energon axe. By this time, Nemesis had already recovered and was ready for another attack. "Die already," she shouted, lunging at her opponent. Optimus managed to dodge the attack, but he was hit by the spiked end of the glaive.

"No one shall take Prime's life but me," shouted Megatron, swinging his energon mace at Nemesis Prime's head. All of his attacks missed, but he was able to force her away from Optimus. "You truly are pathetic, Optimus Prime. To think, for so many eons, I considered you my most worthy adversary and now you can't even defeat a pathetic female imitation," scolded the Decepticon tyrant, all the while swinging wildly at Nemesis.

"Trust me, Megatron, she is no ordinary femcon," warned Optimus, trying to stand up.

"Silence, Prime! I will show you the strength of a true warrior!" Megatron's attacks became more ferocious, but more predictable at the same time. "Fall woman! Fall before the mighty Megatron," he roared, swinging the mace down at Nemesis' head.

"Your constant boasting is starting to irritate me," growled Nemesis. Before Megatron had time to react, the black Prime had her middle finger and ring finger hooked onto the roof of his mouth and she threw him over her shoulder. "All of your boasting just proves how weak you truly are. Clearly, you are not the one destined to bring the Decepticons to glory," stated Nemesis with her foot pressing down on Megatron's head.

Else where in the forest, Megatron's transport and soldier, Astrotrain, watched the battle intensely. However, he was fulfilling an assignment other than the one given to him by Megatron. "Astrotrain to Starscream… Starscream, do you copy," he spoke into his communicator.

"Yes, I copy you moron," shouted the Seeker on the other end of the communication line. "Whatever you have to say can wait till later… Right now I'm busy!"

"But Starscream," stammered Astrotrain, somewhat surprised to receive such a response.

"Silence you fool," screamed Starscream into his communicator, "I said I was busy and I meant it!"

"It looks like Megatron might lose this fight," yelled the triple-changer into his communicator.

"… If that's the case, then why didn't you say so?" Astrotrain was about to defend himself, but Starscream spoke up before he could think of anything to say. "Don't answer that. In any case, I'm sending Monstructor there as a prize for this warrior who defeated Megatron. Be sure to get as far away from the area as possible without alerting anybody, and stay out of Monstructor's sight."

Moon Palace:

Starscream quickly cut his discussion with Astrotrain short so he could focus on his current opponent, Prowl. "Up to no good again Starscream," asked the Autobot 2nd-in-command as he fired several volleys at the Seeker.

"What does it matter to you fool, you're still going to die today," shouted Starscream as he transformed into his jet mode and dove towards Prowl.

In a situation where many Autobots would panic and flee, Prowl maintained his cool and thoroughly examined the Seeker for any weak points. His patience paid off as he dropped on his back when Starscream flew over and shot the Decepticon jet five times.

"Curse you Prowl," shouted Starscream as he crashed into a thicket of trees.

Prowl closed his optics for a moment and made a sigh of relief. Unfortunately, he became aware that Shockwave was standing right above him after he let his guard down. "Now is not the ideal time to be resting, Autobot." The one-eyed Decepticon charged his handgun and aimed it right at Prowl's face. "You can rest once you've joined the well of Allsparks," said Shockwave, ready to discharge the energy stored in his left hand.

"Not if I have anything to say about it," shouted Ultra Magnus as he tackled his nemesis. "It's you and me, Shockwave."

"Fine by me, Ultra Magnus," responded Shockwave, slightly eager to fight his age-old rival.

Endymion Crater:

The battle was not going well for Optimus Prime or Megatron. Optimus had been stabbed several times by the Silent Glaive, and his energy reserves were running low. As for Megatron, he had been knocked offline with the Glaive lounged in his back and stripped of his fusion cannon, now wielded by Nemesis Prime. Optimus was barely able to stand up before Nemesis kicked him back on the ground. The Autobot commander was defeated and was starring death right in the face, yet again (how many times has Prime faced certain death and yet manages to come out victorious?). "I would have waited an eternity for this moment," said Nemesis as she aimed the confiscated fusion cannon at Optimus' face, "It's over Prime. Now you can go apologize to my sister in hell!"

However, fate intervened in the form of a laser beam shot at the ground behind Nemesis Prime. The evil copy of Optimus looked behind her to see Jetfire about to ambush her. With a single shot from her forearm mounted gun, she took down the Autobot scientist, but she still had to deal with the one responsible for shooting behind her. "Tsk, tsk, tsk. It's not polite to attack a lady from behind," said Sixshot who was standing on top of Fortress Maximus' lifeless body, shaking his finger at Jetfire. "All you alright, my Lady," asked the six-changer as he kneeled before Nemesis Prime.

"There was no need for you to get involved Sixshot, but I guess I do owe you some thanks," said Nemesis as she returned her attention to Optimus. "Eliminate the other Autobots," she ordered.

"No, I won't let you," shouted Hotaru as she dashed from her hiding spot in the forest and placed herself between Optimus and the fusion cannon. "I will not allow a monster like you to harm my friends," she growled.

Surprisingly to Hotaru, Optimus, and everyone watching the battle, Nemesis dropped Megatron's confiscated weapon and crushed it beneath her heal. "Is that what I am to you Hotaru, a monster," she asked with a sense of hurt in her voice. "I guess that is what I truly have become, please forgive me." With a wave of her black hand, the energon bonds on Setsuna, Rodimus, and the others vanished. "I never wanted you to see me like this," said Nemesis, turning away from the young princess of Saturn.

"What is the meaning of this, Nemesis Prime," asked Optimus who was able to stand up with support from Rodimus. "I thought you wanted revenge against me? Why did you stop?"

"Believe me, Optimus, I hate every electron that courses through your body and I am fighting the urge to kill you right now. However, I refuse to do it in front of my little sister," Nemesis admitted, startling everybody who heard her. "I will not expose her to the evils of war that consumed myself and my older sister."

"Keres, is that you, big sister," asked Hotaru, praying that it was and it wasn't at the same time.

"It's me," Nemesis answered with shame. "This is what I have become thanks to father and his twisted mind." The former princess of Saturn glazed over the Autobots who were staring at her in shock. "That's right, I was born with flesh and blood, but my master replaced that with metal and oil. I was once Princess Keres, second heir to the throne of Saturn, but now I am Nemesis Prime, the true leader of the Decepticons!"

During the explanation, Grimlock managed to bring himself back online and was eager for some payback. But that was cut short when the wrecked body of Astrotrain came flying out of the woods. "Monstructor kill all," shouted the psychotic gesalt (fan term for combiners) as he beat his hands against his chest. Immediately, Rodimus and the others circled around Optimus while Sixshot placed his body in front of Nemesis Prime.

"Come on, you pitiful excuse for a monster," taunted Sixshot as he readied his two concussion rifles."I can't wait to send your rusty skid plate to the junkyard."

"No Sixshot," spoke Nemesis, placing her hand on the six-changer's shoulder. "I will dispose of this abomination." Nemesis walked over to where Megatron lay and pulled the Silent Glaive from his back. 

"Hotaru, watch carefully. This is a technique I want you to never use," she instructed upon raising the blade in that air.

"Monstructor Kill," the beast shouted, lunging towards Nemesis.

"Death, Reborn Revolution," murmured Nemesis Prime as she brought the glaive down. An enormous blast of black energy surrounded Monstructor then invaded his body, finally causing the gesalt to explode. "Under normal circumstances, that attack would have cost me my life. However, I cannot die as long as my master has use for me," she explained to Hotaru, "but that is not the case for you. So, if the day ever comes, I pray that it does not, that you will inherit the powers of Sailor Saturn, never use that attack unless it is absolutely necessary. Besides, as long as I am alive, I will be there to protect you, and if I am unable to, then this boy shall protect you," Keres said, taking note that Setsuna was holding Hotaru tightly in his arms. "Sixshot, we're leaving." In a brilliant flash of light, the two Decepticons vanished, leaving the humans and the Autobots in awe.

Moon Palace:

In the sky where the battle between the Autobots and Decepticons was taking place, there appeared another flash of light. However, when this one faded away, three figures stood in its remnants. "Since this is your first battle, please try not to overdo it," said the person in the center, Sailor Pluto.

"Why are you worrying about me, Queen Setsuna? It's Sailor Uranus that you should be concerned with," responded the person on the right, Sailor Neptune, in a teasing tone.

"Huh, you never say I'm "overdoing it" when we're in bed, Michiru dearest," said the third person, Sailor Uranus, who was running her hand through her hair.

"That's because I'm always satisfied, Haruka dearest," answered the aqua haired senshi sweetly.

"That's enough small talk from the both of you," stated the woman with long dark green hair. "We have a battle to fight, so let's do it!"

"Right, let's do it," shouted Michiru and Haruka as the three Outer Senshi separated.

* * *

Preview: The Outer Senshi join the battle against the Decepticons to defend the Moon Palace. Things get even more heated when a fight pitting Metroplex against Trypitcon and Scorponok threatens to utterly destroy the capital city. Can Optimus and the Wreckers put an end to the destruction? And what will be of Megatron?


	11. Clash of the Titans

Sorry it took so long for me to update. I've been working on some of my other stories, and now that I've begun school, it's getting harder to get time to write. Also thanks to my schedule, I can only update one story per week, so please bear with me. I would like to thank Harpygirl91, Taeniaea, Lil Angel, Cirex, Beast Wars Master, and S.D.I. for their reviews.

I decided to make things easier for everybody if I list which bots/cons belong to each unit.

Autobots under Optimus Prime: Prowl, Jazz, Bumblebee, Ironhide (Defected to Wreckers), Ratchet, Jetfire, Wheeljack (Defected to Wreckers), Huffer, Inferno, Warpath, Tracks, Hoist, Blaster, Silverbolt and the Arielbots, Omega Supreme, Sideswipe, Sunstreaker, Trailbreaker, Powerglide, Smokescreen, Cliffjumper, Hound, Nightbeat, Perceptor.

The Wreckers under Rodimus Prime: Springer, Arcee, Kup, Blurr, Grimlock, Slag, Sludge, Snarl. Swoop, Roadbuster, Rack'n'Ruin, Topspin, Twintwist, Whirl, Broadside, Sandstorm, Cerebros, Brainstorm, Chromedome, Fortress Maximus, Highbrow, Hardhead, Crosshairs, Scoop, Sureshot, Pointblank.

Autobots under Ultra Magnus: Mirage, Bluestreak, Red Alert, Gears, Camshaft, Hot Spot and the Protectobots, Scattorshot and the Technobots, Ricochet, Smokescreen, Brawn, Powerglide, Cosmos, Beachcomber.

Anyway, that's the jist of it. Enjoy chapter eleven!

* * *

Chapter 11

Clash of the Titans

Moon Palace:

"How fitting that you should come to me so that I can terminate you," said Shockwave as he grappled with his bitter enemy. "Any last words, Ultra Magnus," he asked, upon bringing the 2nd-in-command of the whole Autobot army down to the ground.

"Just a tip, Shockwave," Magnus answered, swiping Shockwave's feet from under him. "Try drinking unleaded oil, that way you won't get so many unrealistic illusions." Ultra Magnus scrambled to his feet and pointed his gun at Shockwave. However, he could not stay in that ideal position because of an attack from the most powerful Decepticon gesalt, Predaking. Thanks to his significantly smaller size, Magnus was able to avoid Predaking's fist, but he was tackled by Shockwave. "Slag," he cursed when his back made contact with the hard ground.

"Now you die Ultra Magnus," Shockwave fired his laser arm at Magnus's head, but missed when his arm was knocked out of the way by Bluestreak. Unfortunately, the valiant efforts of the gray Autobot were for naught when Shockwave shot him in the back. "The dedication you Autobots have for each other is illogical and pathetic."

Ultra Magnus used the time Shockwave was distracted to remove the one-eyed Decepticon from on top of him. "It's that dedication that inspires me to kick your skid-plate!" The two enemies began clashing with each other again.

Else where on the battlefield, the heat intensified when the City con, Scorponok decided to join in the fight. Firing all of his weapons at everything that moved, Scorponok laid waste to over half of the capital city. "That's right cowards, flee before the invincible Scorponok," shouted the headmaster, prior to getting waylaid by Trypticon's tail.

"Stupid insect hit Trypticon. Now Trypticon crush weakling insect," roared the giant black dinosaur as he opened all of his gun ports and fired, the majority of the shots missing their target. Flames scorched the once beautiful grounds and screams replaced the usual chatter from the people on the streets. Fortunately, the skirmish between the two titans came to an end, somewhat, by the interference of the Autobot city bot, Metroplex. "Stupid Metroplex! Get in Trypticon's way," whined the black dinosaur as he swatted Metroplex back with his tail. Fortunately, the Autobot city managed to regain his balance in time to set up his guard against Trypticon's charge.

"No, not fight around humans, Trypticon," he said, grabbing his arch nemesis by the head and throwing him away from the city. Metroplex then turned his attention to Scorponok, just in time for the second citycon to get his claws around Metroplex's neck. "Didn't you hear me," Metroplex said angrily revealing several of his gun ports and aiming them at Scorponok. He opened fire at the Decepticon scorpion, sending it flying back. However, that did not keep Scorponok nor Trypticon down for long, and they began to gang up on Metroplex. Even with the odds against him, Metroplex stood his ground, and suffered extensive damage because of it.

Fortunately, Omega Supreme came to Metroplex's aid and unloaded his arm cannon on Scorponok's face. "Enemy Scorponok… Termination imminent," he stated before firing another volley in the city con's face. With a horrifying boom, Scorponok was on his back and out of commission for the rest of the battle. "Enemy terminated," stated Omega in his usual emotionless tone, completely unfazed by the damage caused by his missed shots or what Scorponok destroyed after his collapse. He ignored the scolding from some of the other Autobots when his favorite opponent caught his optics, Devestator. Immediately, Omega activated his feet thrusters and tackled the gesalt with all his might. This left the Decepticons with only four gesalts (note that the Stunticons are still out of commission from the trashing they took from the monarches), but they still outnumbered the Autobot's three gestalts. Bruticus took on Defensor, Abominus clashed with Computron, and Piranicon battled against Superion. Luckily, Sailor Pluto, Sailor Uranus, and Sailor Neptune were there to check the unopposed Predaking.

"Sorry pal, but this is the point where you turn your ugly metal ass around and head home," said Haruka, hitting Predaking with her World Shaking attack. Sadly, her attack did not do much damage to the Decepticon's most powerful gesalt. Instead, it resulted in her receiving an annoyed glare from the combiner.

"No, it's time for your ass to die," shouted Predaking as he swung his sword at Sailor Uranus. Thanks to a little interference from Michiru, the sword was forced off of its original path and missed Haruka completely.

"I don't give a damn who you are, but no one threatens Haruka's perfect ass and gets away without loosing his head! That ass is mine and mine alone!" Michiru glared at Predaking with eyes that could kill about a hundred men (go MIchi, go Michi, go!) Sailor Neptune focused all of her energy into a Deep Submerge attack that was about the size of Predaking's chest and hurled it at the gesalt. It, more than likely would have been fatal, if Predaking hadn't grabbed the Decepticon Headmaster Apeface and tossed him at the large ball of water. The result was Apeface getting blown to pieces with his head landing in front of Predaking's feet while the other parts were scattered across the battlefield. If Sailor Neptune's attack did anything to the combiner, it was distracting him long enough for Sailor Pluto to hit Predaking from behind with her Dead Scream attack. "Thanks for the assistance Queen Pluto, but I'd like to take this one alone," said Michiru, ever so intent on making the gesalt suffer.

Satisfied with the damage she'd inflicted on Predaking as well as other reasons, Setsuna took her leave of this particular battle in order to confront the master of Metallikato, Bludgeon and his band of Decepticon Pretenders. The senshi of Pluto smiled at how well one of her students was doing, giving her a bit more motivation to give her all against the Decepticons. Adding to her motivation to fight was the part about the Pretenders attacking the fleeing population of the Imperial City, an act that she was not willing to forgive. Focusing all of her strength into her right arm, Sailor Pluto threw her Garnet Rod at the Pretenders, resulting in the staff penetrating Bomb-Burst through the mouth and making its way out the other side of his head. Instantly, the bat-like monster fell to the ground, alerting the other Pretenders. They turned immediately to see Sailor Pluto standing on top of Bomb-Burst's body with her arms crossed and the oil-soaked Garnet Rod resting on her shoulder. "Cowards like you disgust me, and so, you shall die in agony like the dishonorable dogs you are." As soon as he heard his "honor" being insulted, Bludgeon lunged at Setsuna, not caring that she was not finished speaking.

"You pathetic insect, how dare you insult my honor," hissed the skeleton-like samurai as he brought his katana down on Sailor Pluto. However, much to his surprise, Setsuna was able to block it with the Garnet Rod. Figuring it to be a fluke, Bludgeon drew back his sword and swung horizontally at Sailor Pluto only to realize she was no longer there. As his instincts commanded, the Decepticon swordsman recalled his blade and blocked above his head where, coincidentally, was the point of attack for Setsuna. As soon as her staff connected with his sword, Sailor Pluto vanished again and reappeared a mere second before she struck Bludgeon in the back of the knee, crushing the hydraulics in his leg and crippling him. "Damn you insect, I will get you for this," he shouted, aiming the cannon on his left shoulder at the queen of Pluto.

"If you are a true samurai, then shouldn't you be performing Seppuku (the suicide technique used once a samurai was defeated) right now," replied Setsuna as she tossed the Garnet Rod into the barrel of Bludgeon's cannon, causing it to explode on the Decepticon Pretender. Sailor Pluto's hardened eyes softened as she looked at her defeated opponent with sympathy. "Very well then, I shall end your life for you," she said upon retrieving her weapon. Sadly, she was unable to fulfill her promise because another of the Pretenders, Iguanus with his guns set a blazing at her. However, fate decided to let her live past today and interfered in the form of Mirage and a small squad of Autobots.

Bludgeon and his group of Pretenders made their retreat, but not before the Metallikato master swore vengeance against the queen of Pluto. "What was that all about," asked Mirage as he set Setsuna on his shoulder. Of course he already knew what happened, but he just wanted to start a conversation.

"Now's not the time for idle chatter Mirage," said Bumblebee, carrying two heavy particle cannons in his hands along with a bazooka and a rocket launcher on his back. "This is Decepticon aft-kicking time!"

Even though they were outnumbered, the Autobots seemed to hold their ground and slightly gain the upper hand in the battle. Ultra Magnus and Shockwave were locked in their usual fight to the death. Blaster and his cassettes battled with Soundwave and his cassettes. Prowl and Starscream exchanged blows with each other while Jazz handled Sunstorm. Hound, Bluestreak, Cliffjumper, Red Alert, Camshaft, Ricochet, Smokescreen, and Brawn formed a defensive line around the castle where they struggled to ward off the brutal attacks from Skywarp and the other Seekers. However, the tide turned in favor of the Decepticons when Superion suddenly fell apart and the five Arielbots where blasted out of commission. Every one in the immediate area watched as Sixshot descended from the sky, landing on the pile of bodies belonging to the Arielbots. "Looks like I joined in right before the fun ended," said the six-changer as he drew his weapons, "but now the fun can begin again!" Without bothering to take aim, Sixshot fired his twin concussion rifles and blew off the heads of Huffer and Gears. "Heed my words fellow Decepticons and soon-to-be cannon fodder (Autobots), Megatron has perished. Now is the time for celebration because a new leader with even greater potential has come to carry the Decepticons to victory," he announced, making all optics, both Autobot and Decepticon, look at him. "There she stands," he pointed to the bot standing on top of Trypticon's head, "the new Empress of Destruction, Nemesis Prime!"

"Never," shouted Starscream, enraged at the thought of another con, much less a femme, taking his Primus-given place as commander of the Decepticons. He kicked Prowl aside and rocketed towards Nemesis with his guns blazing away. "I am the rightful leader of the Decepticons!"

Much to the surprise of Starscream and the rest of the audience, Nemesis Prime vanished from on top of Trypticon. She landed on the ground below Starscream with her arms folded. "Be gone from my sight, worm," she spoke blandly. Once the final word of her sentence was spoken, Starscream's limbs and wings began falling off of his body, and the leader of the Seekers plummeted to the ground. "Now Decepticons, resume the attack, and remember," Nemesis paused to pull out the Silent Glaive, "NO ONE GETS OUT ALIVE!" Upon hearing the battle cry they'd all taken to spark, the Decepticons began the attack with renewed vigor and a lust for oil. Nemesis smiled at the enthusiasm of her soldiers and started making her way to her destination. "Sixshot," she commanded and her knight appeared, kneeling before her.

"What are your orders, my queen," asked the STAG Decepticon.

"I am going to pay a visit to an old acquaintance of mine. I do not want any interference, especially from my sister. If you confront Hotaru, I want you to capture her relatively unharmed. Is that understood?"

"Perfectly," answered Sixshot.

Endymion Crater:

"Optimus, everyone seems to be repaired and ready for combat," reported Wheeljack before he and Jetfire took a seat on the nearest rock. Clearly, the Autobot mad scientist was exhausted, and who could blame him. After all, he was more of a builder rather than a repair bot.

"The Wreckers are ready for combat, Optimus sir," said Rodimus with a crisp salute. Optimus looked at the young prime strangely, because for now, he was in command of a different army, but he was still willing to back down to a senior bot. "Awaiting your command, sir!" Well, today was just full of surprises for the former accountant (yes, Optimus was an accountant before he became leader of the Autobots).

For once in his life, Optimus was unsure of what to say, so he looked at Hotaru who just gave him a reassuring smile. "Ok, Wreckers, time to Wreck and Rule," he shouted, raising his gun high in the air. With almost childish glee, the Wreckers responded to the war cry with hoorays and whistles. "Fortress Maximus and the Headmasters are to stay here and protect the people of the Dark Moon Clan. The Targetmasters are to come with me and the rest of the Wreckers, is that clear?" Prime chuckled at the responses he was getting from the many Autobots surrounding him. "Then lets go bust some Decepti-chops," he said, pulling out his other rifle. "Everyone to the Xantium!" Prime reminded himself that something was wrong, but he couldn't figure it out until the crowd of Autobots was already in the ship. What he overlooked was that Megatron's body was no longer there, something that troubled Optimus deeply. The Autobot Supreme Commander knew that he'd regret it later if he let Megatron escape, but the safety of the Lunarians and their queen took priority. Focusing on his current objective, Optimus Prime boarded the Xantium and the ship took off towards the battle grounds.

Some unknown cave:

Megatron dragged his beaten body to the nearest wall and started bashing his head against it. "Never, I will never give in to you… I am Megatron, the most powerful being in the universe! I never surrender to any opponent, even if he's a part of me!" After several wallops, Megatron stopped and started laughing manically.

"Megatron, you fool. Are you that blind, to not embrace the chance for ultimate power?" The other being that spawned inside of the Emperor of Destruction's body was now in control and still trying to subdue his opponent. "I am ultimate power… I am the most powerful being in the universe… I AM GALVATRON!

* * *

Preview: Just as the battle is looking grim for the Autobots, Optimus Prime and the Wreckers arrive to aid them, but can they turn the tide. Sailor Pluto confronts Sixshot, while Serenity battles Nemesis Prime. All the while, the struggle between Megatron and Galvatron for control of Megatron's body continues.


	12. The Beginning of Darkness

Hello everybody, sorry for taking so long to update, but I got alot of work to in school and my job and all that crap. Anyways, special thanks go out to Harpygirl91, Lil Angel, Taenaea, Arrick Haun, Thundercracker, and ShadowHawk. I'm glad you all like the story and the plot is only going to get deeper as the true mastermind is revealed in the next few chapters. However, if you're someone really familiar with the Transformers, then pay attention to the actions and words of Nemesis Prime and you'll be able to figure it out. Also, there are a few new Autobots not mentioned in the list from last chapter. The reason for that is I needed a few minor characters I could kill off easily.

Anyways, enjoy chapter 12 and please don't forget to review, it makes me happy.

* * *

Chapter 12

The Beginning of Darkness

"Master Nemesis, the city is ours," reported Soundwave, kneeling before the black Prime.

"So what," Nemesis scoffed, "I am only interested on that barrier around the castle, have we made any progress on it," she asked, now focusing one of her red optics on the Decepticon Intelligence officer.

"No Ma'am," Soundwave replied, finding himself trembling in fear a few nano-cycles later.

"If you haven't broken through that damned barrier, then don't bother me with such trifling information," Nemesis growled, removing the glaive from Soundwave's neck. "Give this information to Shockwave along with orders to get Trypticon and Scorponok back in the battle. The both of them are to overrun Metroplex and strike him until he is nothing but screws and bolts," the black prime ordered before transforming into her truck mode.

The Decepticon communications officer wanted to ask for further details into Nemesis' plan, but he was stopped when Sixshot placed a hand on his shoulder. "I wouldn't question her if I were you," warned the six-changer prior to transforming himself into his star fighter mode and following his master. By the time they stopped, the two Decepticons were on the edge of a mountain overlooking the mass destruction that was occurring in the city below them. However, what interested Nemesis was the castle off on the right. "So this is where we deliver the fatal blow," asked Sixshot, pulling out his twin concussion rifles.

"Yes, but I will go in alone, as planned," said the black prime with her arms folded. Again, Nemesis Prime transformed and rolled her way straight down the edge of the mountain, all the while avoiding most shots fired at her by Autobot guards and such. Then again, the attack did not last long once it caught Sixshot's attention. Not willing to tolerate anyone daring to shoot at his master, the six-changer sprung into action, transforming into his tank mode and gunning down Autobots Camshaft and Clamp Down. Unfortunately for the defenders, the wrath of one of the most powerful Decepticons was upon them and they were going to pay the price for it. The next victim was RoadHauler whose head was blown off after getting punctured by a few dozen plasma bolts. For the grand finale, Sixshot changed into his wolf mode, where he proceeded to tear out Scorch's spark with his teeth and then decapitate Chainclaw. Once he'd finished chewing the Autobot's head, the S.T.A.G. Decepticon checked to see if his master was still around, which she wasn't. By doing this, Sixshot disobeyed one of the most important rules of combat, which was to be aware of his surroundings.

"Dead Scream," shouted Sailor Pluto as she released her orb of energy at the mechanical wolf from his left flank and slammed him into the side of the mountain. Slowly, Sixshot stood up in a daze from the unexpected attack, but he soon regained his senses and transformed into robot mode to face his new opponent. "Such cruelty disgusts me and I will not tolerate it," said Setsuna, standing with her arms folded and her long green hair blowing in the wind. "I, Sailor Pluto, will not forgive your actions, and through the authority granted to me by Queen Serenity, I sentence you to death!" Pluto vanished in an instant and reappeared behind her opponent with the sharp point of the Garnet Rod aimed at the center of his back.

"Don't underestimate me, fleshling," growled Sixshot, jumping into the air to avoid Setsuna's attack. Due to his enormous size, the six-changer was not able to dodge Sailor Pluto's weapon completely and suffered some damage to his left leg. However, that didn't stop him from transforming into his blaster mode and releasing a barrage of plasma bolts at the senshi of time. When his barrage ended, Sixshot was surprised to see Setsuna standing on a pile of debris caused by his shots, and she was relatively unharmed! Unable to understand what the slag just happened, the green and purple Decepticon went over the previous moments that were recorded by his optics, but he quickly shrugged it off and transformed back into robot mode. "Ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha…. You're pretty full of surprises aren't you woman," he said as he pulled out his concussion rifles. "Well, guess what, so am I," Sixshot shouted, firing a volley at Setsuna. As he anticipated, Sailor Pluto dodged the first shot by jumping to the left, then jumped up to avoid the second shot, which was just what he wanted. Immediately, Sixshot dropped the rifle in his right hand, formed it into a fist, and launched a punch at his opponent. The attack hit dead on, sending Setsuna flying into the side of a guard tower. In the next few seconds, the queen of Pluto crumpled to the ground, appearing as limp as a puppet. "That was fun, for the while it lasted," said the one robot army, putting up his weapons. "Just a little more training and you could be the human equivalent to Grimlock, but since you're dead, I guess it can't be helped," he finished with a shrug, then turned around to walk away.

"Thanks for the advice and the complement," muttered Setsuna as she, struggling to bring herself to her feet. "I will admit that was one hell of a punch…huff… huff… I guess the only reason I'm not dead is that I'm full of surprises too," she said prior to shooting off another Dead Scream attack which hit the six-changer dead-center in the chest. Exhausted and in pain, Setsuna sat down for the few seconds she'd given herself in order to rest. Unfortunately, it wasn't enough and she was eclipsed by the shadow of the large Decepticon. "Not much of a sporting 'con are you," she scoffed as she watched Sixshot's rifles turn a bright blue at the barrel. To add to the hopelessness of the situation, her senshi powers vanished, returning her to her black dress. "Oh well, at least I'll be able to rest for once," Setsuna mumbled as she pulled out a pipe and a bag of tobacco (for some reason, whenever I think of Setsuna, I always see her with a pipe in her mouth. To me, it makes her look all the sexier, even though she's always sexy. All this according to the word of the Sailor Pluto fanboy, Amen!) With several inhales of the fumes from the burning plant, the queen of Pluto closed her eyes for what she believed to be the last time.

"Sorry, it was fun, but business before pleasure," said Sixshot, about to vaporize the green haired woman if it weren't for a truck running over him. "What the slag," he cursed looking at the red and blue vehicle as it made a sharp turn that no human driver was capable of. Subsequently after the hit-and-turn, a large number of gun ports and missile pods opened from the vehicle's trailer and opened fire on the six-changer. Sixshot was too stunned to block the barrage and suffered multiple hits prior to feeling a fist connect with his lower jaw, sending him flying. Yet his mysterious opponent did not stop there and he waited till the second before Sixshot was about to hit the ground to kick him straight in the chest. "Damn it," the six-changer cursed, before he transformed into his fighter mode and flew off.

Being that she was as confused as Sixshot was about this mysterious new comer, Setsuna waited for the smoke from the barrage to clear instead of playing it safe and finding a nice bush that would be appropriate for reconnaissance. "Are you alright, Queen Pluto," asked a voice that Setsuna had become all too familiar with in the past few days. A pair of large blue hands cupped the green haired queen and lifted her until she was face to face with her rescuer.

"I suppose thanks are in order, Optimus Prime," said Setsuna as she looked into the optics of the Autobot commander.

"No thanks are necessary," replied Prime, "but I need to know the immediate location of Queen Serenity. Can you indulge me with that information?"

"Of course, the queen is in the main throne room of the palace, but you must hurry. If you don't, then Queen Serenity may already be another victim of Nemesis Prime," Setsuna warned, saddened by the possibility that her teacher and queen might already be dead.

As for Optimus, the very mention that Nemesis was involved made him clinch his fist in anger. "Again, she's dragging innocent people into our quarrel, damn it," he growled, but as always, regained his calm demeanor. "Jetfire, take Queen Pluto to First Aid so she can get immediate treatment. Also, order Omega Supreme and the gesalts to cover Metroplex, while a team of your choice evacuates the citizens. Once all the humans are a safe distance away, I want you to burn this place to the ground, Decepticons and all! Is that understood," Prime asked, not willing to accept any answer besides a solid yes.

"But, Prime…"

"IS THAT UNDERSTOOD," Optimus roared at the scientist. Once Jetfire noticed that Prime was not willing to compromise on this decision, he nodded silently. "Good, now give my orders to Rodimus and the other commanders. As for me, I'm going to settle my score with Nemesis Prime," growled the Autobot leader prior to transforming and heading towards the castle.

Mare Serenitatis, about the time Sixshot and Sailor Pluto started their fight:

"It's been quite a while, hasn't it, Serenity-sensei," spoke Nemesis Prime as she walked over the lifeless body of the Autobots Camaro and Bumper.

"Who are you," growled the white haired queen, tightening her grip on the Ginzuisho. Her rage was enough to activate the crystal so that she transformed into Divine Sailor Moon without stating the incantation.

"Oh, it seems your skills with the Ginzuisho have improved, but your age has caused your memory to deteriorate," scoffed Nemesis who projected a hologram of her former self in order to help Serenity remember. "However, I didn't come here for a reunion. I'll get to the point, surrender the Ginzuisho and I will spare your life and the lives of your citizens," the former princess demanded, materializing the Silent Glaive to emphasize her point.

"Keres, what in the cosmos happened to you," asked Serenity, horrified that the girl she trained in the martial arts had been turned into this mechanical monster.

"This body is the result of the actions of my father and my master, but that is irrelevant," answered Nemesis, lifting the glaive and forming a light grip around it. "I've also come to punish you for a grave sin," the Decepticon commander lunged at Serenity, but the Queen of the White Moon Clan was able to avoid the blade.

"What sin," questioned Serenity, raising her knees to avoid the swing of the glaive. She landed on the large weapon and started to sprint towards the weapon's wielder.

"The sin of allying yourself with the man that murdered Hel," answered Nemesis as she swatted Serenity away like a fly. However, Sailor Moon used the momentum and her own strength to launch herself off the castle wall and back towards Nemesis Prime. Timing herself just right, the white haired woman used the weapon form of the Ginzuisho to make a clean cut across the Decepticon's mid-rift. Yet that small victory was short lived once Nemesis grabbed her and tossed her into the ground. Following the throw, the black robot repositioned the Silent Glaive and brought it down on Serenity. The attack would have been fatal if Serenity didn't roll to her side, but even that could not prevent her two left wings from being cut off. The queen cried in agony for about a second before being kicked into another wall by her former student. Now, Nemesis pulled her weapon from the ground and tossed it at her former sensei.

Serenity was able to dodge the attack by ducking, but it cost her her upper right wing. "Well, Keres, I will agree that your skills have improved, but I can't agree with your method or your reasoning for obeying a master that turned you into a machine," said Serenity with a smile before she started coughing up blood.

"I hate this body too, but I need it in order to fulfill my plans," responded Nemesis Prime, strangely giving her opponent time to stand up. "My master fears the power of the Autobot Matrix of Leadership, so he desires the three crystals in order to protect himself. I intend to take the crystals and the Matrix and destroy him, all the while tormenting him with the crystals that could save his life." Unfortunately for Nemesis, revealing her plan was a bad decision and she suffered the consequences with a wave of severe pain that coursed through her body. She fell to her knees, gripping the sides of her head and begging for forgiveness. From her knees, Nemesis Prime dropped to her side and curled herself into a ball, still screaming for forgiveness. Despite suffering some pretty bad wounds from fighting her student, Serenity was still concerned for her Keres and tried to approach her, but Nemesis kept her at a distance using the exhaust port guns on her forearms. After five minutes of intense pain, Nemesis was able to rest, but that did not mean she was forgiven.

"Hear me Nemesis Prime," boomed a loud voice from every direction, "Opitmus Prime is coming. Now you are to tear him apart and destroy the Matrix of Leadership. This is my command," finished the voice before fading out completely.

"Ye…Yes, Master… your command shall be fulfilled," said Nemesis between gasp of air. Now, the Decepticon's red optics glared at Serenity, which the queen responded by getting into a guard position. For a few seconds, the two combatants stared each other down until they both became aware of another presence coming towards them, and it wasn't Optimus!

"Mother, what was that horrible screaming," asked Usagi, bursting into the throne room at the wrong time.

"Usagi, run! Get out of here as fast as you can," shouted Serenity, but her words were not heeded and the queen faced her worst nightmare, her daughter becoming a hostage. "Keres, release my daughter immediately," the Lunarian Queen roared.

"Keres is gone," was the only response Serenity got, "now there is only Nemesis Prime, the Empress of Destruction!"

* * *

Preview: Already, Optimus has made a decision that will make him hated among the people of the White Moon Clan. However, what is he to do when he is faced with a decision to save the daughter of his new ally or to save his beloved Elita-1? Also, Megatron has returned and is ready to make one last stand against Optimus Prime, but can Prime really afford to fight his enemy when a more sinister shadow is cast over him and the Autobots? Plus, what is this plan Shockwave has to ensure the Decepticon victory over the Autobots? Next chapter: Megatron's Last Stand.


	13. Megatron's Last Stand

Well, after a long wait, here is chapter 13. I was really happy with the reviews of chapter 12, so I decided to add about 5 or 6 more chapters to the story. All of this is thanks to Harpygirl91, Taeniaea, Lil Angel, Thundercracker, drake202, and Shadowhawk.

To drake202, regarding his question: I plan on using a number of characters from the Japanese series. One of them that was already introduced was Ricochet. Gesalts such as Road Caesar and Lio Kaiser will make appearances soon. I probably use Raijin, but he will more than likely be a victim of Predaking, Abominous or somebody like that. And two other characters from the Japanese series will make their appearance in this chapter, but they will not be revealed.

Anyway enjoy chapter 13 and please review!

* * *

Chapter 13

Megatron's Last Stand

"So, what is your choice, Serenity-sensei," asked Nemesis, keep a tight grip on her captive. "If you refuse to give me the Ginzuisho, your daughter will die. On the other hand, if you do give me the crystal, your daughter will be saved and you will die until I return your illustrious sailor crystal (manga term for a true Star Seed)."

"Stop this, Keres! There is no need for this," pleaded Serenity, giving her all to stand up, but failing in the end.

"I told you Keres is gone," shouted Nemesis, ready to toss Usagi to the ground and crush her underneath her feet. The former princess of Saturn released the Moon Princess, but Usagi stopped falling about midway. As a matter of fact, everything that was in motion at the time froze. During the time freeze, the Autobot veteran and leader of a fearsome band of female rebels, Elita-1 came to the Moon princess's rescue. Unfortunately, there was nobody to come to her rescue when she found out that stopping time wouldn't stop Nemesis Prime. "I don't recall inviting you to this little gathering," hissed the black Prime as she tightened her grip around Elita's neck. Slowly, she began to crush the female Autobot's neck, all the while, wearing a small, sadistic smile under her mouth plate. Again, Nemesis took hold of the lunarian princess. "Well, little fleshling, I wonder who your next rescuer will be," mocked the Decepticon commander, watching her captive squirm.

"That rescuer is me, now let them go," answered the bot that Nemesis was hoping for. "I told you before, if you've got a problem with me, then don't get innocent people involved," growled Optimus with his rifle leveled with Nemesis Prime's head.

"Of course, their only purpose was to lure you hear," replied the black Prime, throwing both her hostages to the side. Immediately, she lunged towards Optimus with the Silent Glaive in her hand.

Surprisingly, the Silent Glaive didn't even get close to Optimus because of another unexpected guest. "Keep away from Prime, you disgusting organic! Optimus Prime is my prey, and no body else's," hissed a figure in the shadows following a shot from his cannon.

Even though this new comer saved his life, Optimus Prime was not at all pleased to hear his voice. Heck, Prime knew who he was before this mystery bot spoke. "Megatron," he muttered, getting ready for the duel that was about to happen.

Outside the palace, 5 minutes earlier:

"My, oh my, this battle doesn't look too good for the Autobots," stated a red and gold haired woman, watching the lunar capital burn as the Autobots and Decepticons continued to clash with each other. "Looks like I might have to get involved… too bad," she sighed, completely ignoring the Decepticon triple-changer, Snapdragon, sneaking up behind her. However, Snapdragon was unable to attack because both his rifles were crushed by the energy surrounding the woman. Keeping herself calm, the woman turned around to face the now kneeling Decepticon. "You shouldn't sneak up on people… it's rude, especially if those people are superior to you in every conceivable way, like me. My name is Galaxia," she stated grabbing hold of the triplechanger's head, "and my advice for you is simple. Learn your place!" With a slight increase in pressure, the senshi of the galaxy crushed her victim's head. Releasing her grip of Snapdragon's head, Galaxia turned towards the battle once again. She unsheathed her sword, Fuuin no Ken, and stared at the blade for some time. While her eyes were locked on the sealing blade, her mind was reminiscing her first encounter with the Autobot leader (again, read Battle of Chaos). "Till all are one," the galaxy senshi muttered before jumping off the cliff in order to enter the fray.

Like a falcon swooping towards its prey, Galaxia silently and gracefully decapitated the Decepticon Actionmaster Gutcruncher. Once her right foot made contact with the ground, the golden haired warrior used it to launch her into the air for a killing blow to her victim. Fuuin no Ken easily penetrated Gutcruncher's armor and struck his spark. "Damn…you…fleshliiiiinnnnnggggg," were the Decepticon's last words. Even though the Con was obviously dead, the mere audacity of his dying words were enough to make Galaxia go the extra step and slice his head in half.

"The weak have no right to criticize the strong," deadpanned the gold haired woman as she sheathed her sword. Galaxia dodged a bolt of lightning by doing a quarter-turn, but she did not bother moving when the second attack struck. "Honestly, these fools are so weak it disgusts me," she complained, eyeing the Seeker, Sunstorm, as he prepared his strongest attack to hurl at her. The Senshi of the galaxy watched as a ball of radioactive energon easily fifty times her size came closer and closer to her. "Just die already," Galaxia shouted, sending the ball of energon along with some of her energy back towards Sunstorm. She watched sadistically as the Seeker cried in pain for several seconds before exploding. With her little distraction over, Galaxia closed her eyes and began her search for Optimus Prime's energy signature, or the energy of the Matrix of Leadership to be more precise. "Tsk, tsk, tsk…. That man always gets into trouble," she sighed, jogging towards Serenity's castle.

Outer western limits of Mare Serenitatis:

"Hate to state the obvious, but we're getting scrapped here," shouted Jazz to his superior, Prowl. The intelligence officer pressed the button on a grenade and chunked it over the make-shift barrier that he and a few Autobots put together. The explosion took out six or more Insecticon clones, but they were easily replaced. "Got any plans to get us outta this mess," inquired Jazz who was watching as Grapple tended to the seriously damaged Bluestreak.

"I'm working on it Jazz, but I need time to figure organize it," answered the Autobot second-in-command. He turned around and took a few quick shots at the Decepticon insects then ducked back behind the barrier in the nick of time.

"Well, whatever you're planning, do it fast, 'cause they're coming around our flanks," informed Ricochet, sniping one of the Insecticon clones. Calling his Targetmaster partner, Nightstick, to his hand, Ricochet took aim and fired a volley at a point were several Shrapnel clones were converging. The clone brother of Jazz prepared to shot another round at the numerous Decepticons, but Nightstick struggled free and transformed into his robot mode. "Where in the Pit are you going," the impatient Autobot roared, but kept shooting at the enemy instead of going after the Targetmaster.

"There's a human laying out there unconscious," answered the black and gray robot as he rushed towards what he found was a blonde girl with a red ribbon in her hair. Nightstick lifted the girl in his arms and bolted back to where Ricochet and the others were.

"Hey, ain't that one of the girls that hung around with Usagi," asked Jazz rhetorically.

"How the slag should I know," responded Ricochet to his 'brother.' Now that Nightstick had returned, the black and gold Autobot was on a shooting spree, gunning down Insecticons from every direction.

"Yeah, that's the princess from Venus, Minako," said Prowl, switching out energy cartridges for his gun. "So guess what, Autobots… we got another assignment besides fighting the Decepticons, and that is to protect Princess Minako," announced the former policeman to his makeshift squad.

"Stupid, goodfanothin' flesh bag," cursed Ricochet.

Swamps outside of Mare Serenitatis:

"Bring back memories of the good ol' days," inquired the Autobot head of security, Ironhide, back to back with his old friend, Kup. Even though he was old, Ironhide could still put a beating on any of those young Decepticon 'punks' who mistook him for an easy kill. As a matter of fact, the red Autobot just finished tossing the Triggercon Crankcase into the mud.

"Lucky shot, old geezer," hissed Crankcase as he wiped some of the wet soil off his face. "But luck ain't gonna save ya this time," he shouted, throwing a wild hook punch at the veteran Autobot.

Ironhide easily dodged Crankcase's desperate attack and grabbed the Decepticon by the head. "Tsk, these young bots got no respect for their elders," he said sullen, then slammed Crankcase's head into his knee. The Triggercon stumbled back then fell on his face when Ironhide froze his legs with liquid nitrogen. "I may be an old geezer, but I'm still a part of the Lightning Strike Coalition," the red Autobot boasted and shattered Crankcase's legs.

"Yeah, these bring back memories, Ironhide, but not the ones I want to remember," Kup answered his friend's last question. "This place makes me think of the Toxic Sludge Swamp back on Cybertron." That sentence was enough to make Ironhide, Wheeljack, Smokescreen, and Inferno turn their heads towards the senior Autobot.

"I hope you're not implying that HE may be here waiting for us," inquired Wheeljack, tightening the grip on his gyro-gun.

"It's possible, but I pray to Primus that he's not here," answered Kup, chewing on a piece of scrap metal. "But if he is, then there's a pretty good chance none of us are gonna make it outta here alive," he added.

"What is he talking about," asked Ami, who had been traveling with the Autobots via Wheeljack's shoulder. The blue haired girl almost wished she didn't ask that question when she saw the grim expressions on the Autobot's faces. "Was it really that terrible?"

"Worse than what you can imagine, kiddo," answered Wheeljack who took the responsibility of explaining what happened at the Toxic Sludge Swamp to Ami. "Back around the time the war was being fought on Cybertron, there was an incident that scared many of the Autobots… a level of brutality that could make many of the Decepticons shudder. It was a reconnaissance mission to infiltrate the Decepticon stronghold in Kaon. Well, the best way to get in was through the Toxic Sludge Swamp, so Prime sent two regiments. One regiment was unlucky and ran into the leader of the Seacons, Snaptrap. He got the nickname 'Butcher of the Bogs' when he massacred that regiment and carved praises to Megatron in their bodies," finished the Autobot scientist. "Sadly, our chances of running into that mass murdering turtle are probably fif…" Wheeljack stopped his sentence when his optics were attracted to a few large air bubbles in the muddy water. Smokescreen and Inferno saw it too and opened fire as a precaution. As soon as the beams hit the water, the giant blue turtle sprang out and transformed. "Scratch that, our chances of running into Snaptrap are now 100%," muttered the eccentric Autobot (I know it's a pretty pathetic description considering all the Autobots are eccentric, but hopefully you'll think of Wheeljack), looking back at his comrades. Half a second of silence passed before the small band of Autobots opened fire on the Butcher of the Bog.

Eastern side of Mare Serenitatis:

Despite the damage inflicted upon them by Michiru's Deep Submerge attack, the Predacons were back on their feet and tormenting the princess of Neptune with relentless attacks. Naturally, the numerous charges from Tantrum and Headstrong, the slashes from Rampage and Razorclaw, and the aerial attacks from Divebomb exhausted Sailor Neptune. Her weariness got to the point where she couldn't move her legs and had no choice but to be swatted away by the lion's mechanical paw. "You're strong for a flesh creature, but you stand no chance against us, for we are the ultimate hunters," announced the Predacon commander as he prepared to impale the aqua haired woman with his claws.

Fortunately for the Neptunian princess, help came to her in the form of Grimlock and the Dynobots. "Stupid cat call himself the ultimate hunter… pathetic. You didn't even keep your guard up," criticized the tyrannosaurus, just about to incinerate Razorclaw with his fire breath. However, the lion had other plans and leapt away in the nick of time. Both leaders transformed and drew their swords. This signaled their subordinates to engage the enemy and leave the bodies in the worst condition possible. Slag and Rampage immediately dropped their weapons and went at each other with their bare fists. Sludge was the only Dynobot to stay in his beast form, from which he could start earthquakes with ease. The brontosaurus' opponent was the rhinoceros Headstrong whose horn could penetrate even Sludge's armor. The silent Snarl faced off with Tantrum the bull in the most barbaric combat Michiru ever saw. Swoop and Divebomb were locked in an aerial dual using everything in their arsenals against each other. "Flesh creature, get back. You're in me, Grimlock's way," instructed the Dynobot leader after he threw Razorclaw over his shoulder. The Predacon commander was not about to let that happen to him alone and grabbed Grimlock by the arm, taking the Dynobot with him.

"Don't get too cocky Grimlock, remember that the only two warriors you could never defeat in the arena were Megatron and myself," hissed Razorclaw as he got back on his feet. The hunter pulled out his sonic sword and lunged at Grimlock who blocked it with his energo-sword.

"How can me forget," Grimlock placed his free hand on the side of his face. "You may have caused this stupid voice impediment when you damaged me Grimlock's vocal processor, but you haven't beaten me either, Razorclaw." Michiru watched as the Dynobot pulled out his miniature rocket launcher and threw it to the side then placed both hands on his sword. "Now we settle this, Predacon," he growled.

"Very well, Dynobot," Razorclaw replied and detached the two concussion cannons mounted on his shoulders. "Megatron will be pleased when I bring him your head, traitor."

Center of Mare Serenitatis:

"So, is this boy really that important to you," the female Autobot Arcee asked her companion seated on her shoulder.

"Yes, Setsuna really is important to me," answered Hotaru, blushing as she thought of what to say next. "I guess I really…," Arcee smiled as she watched the Saturian princess search for the right words to say.

"Love him," finished Arcee, unintentionally making Hotaru blush even more. The young princess just nodded her head shyly and waited for Arcee to laugh, but that never happened. Instead, the black haired girl found herself cradled in Arcee's arm while the fembot looked around with one of her pistols in hand. "Ssh, somebody's close by and I doubt their friendly," she whispered to Hotaru.

Thanks to Arcee's quick reflexes and sharp senses, she was able to take note of an energon arrow flying toward her and avoided it. "Good timing Autobot, but how long can you keep it up," the saboteur and one of the few female Decepticons, Flamewar made herself visible to Arcee and Hotaru. However, she didn't wait long for the two 'victims' to get a good view and charged them with an energon sword. Instinctively, Arcee shifted her body in order to get the Saturian princess out of harm's way, but it cost her dearly when she was stabbed in the right shoulder. "This is no fun at all," complained the black and red femcon.

"Well then let me make it a bit more interesting for you, Decepti-bitch," growled Arcee as she projected one of her tire spikes and slashed Flamewar's face, including her left eye. The black femcon drew back and howled in pain while covering her shattered optic with her hands. Arcee took this time as an opportunity to escape and look for a good place for Hotaru to hide.

"You little wretch! When I find you, I'll tear you apart servo by servo," Flamewar shouted. "First I'll make you suffer by forcing you to watch that little flesh bag get torn apart," she picked up her energon bow and transformed into a motorcycle to cover ground faster. Unfortunately for the femcon, she was so focused on revenge that she didn't notice a landmine when she ran over it.

Lunar Palace, Serenity's throne room:

"For eons we've battled each other and each time both of us survived," shouted Megatron, swinging his energon mace wildly at Optimus. "But this time will be different, Prime… This time, the victor and only survivor will be me!" The Emperor of Destruction shot off several missiles from the pod on his hip with all but two hitting their target. Megatron followed through with a round kick to Prime's head which hurled the Autobot into the palace wall. Again, the tyrant charged his enemy, but this time he was on the receiving end of a kick to the jaw.

"I told you that I don't have time for you Megatron," growled Optimus Prime as he shot his arch enemy in the back, taking out two of Megatron's back-mounted cannons. The Autobot Supreme Commander calculated where his foe would land and moved to that position in order to deliver another devastating blow. As usual with Megatron, he messed up Prime's plan by turning around in mid air and firing a shot from his fusion cannon. The energy blast struck through Optimus' leg and brought the Autobot down, but he was no where near being out of this fight. Using his experience from past fights with Megatron, Optimus Prime predicted his foe's move and transformed in order to get away. Once the former gladiator was back on the ground, Prime transformed to his robot mode and let loose a barrage on Megatron.

The Decepticon sought cover from Optimus' attack and looked for a weapon he could use against his nemesis. What Megatron found was a large jagged rock, perfect for penetrating Prime's armor. He took a shot and threw the projectile into Optimus' chest, right below the spark chamber. However, this successful blow to Prime cost Megatron his fusion cannon and his left arm. "Damn you Optimus Prime," he roared.

Prime, on the other hand, did not wait for Megatron to finish his statement and punched him dead center of the face. Optimus then struck his rival twice more before he took a blow to the gut. The Emperor of Destruction tackled the Autobot Supreme Commander, thus turning the fight into a struggle to get on top. After several turns and blows to the head, Prime appeared to be to one on top. "What do I have to do to make you stop this meaningless fight," shouted Prime as he punched Megatron in the face. However, Megatron had a different idea; instead of answering Prime's question, he slammed his energon mace into his back.

"If you want me to stop, then you'll have to kill me Prime," answered Megatron, again swinging his mace wildly at Optimus. Prime was used to this style of combat that Megatron turns to when he is in a blind rage, but there was something different and that was painfully obvious. Each time Optimus dodged a swing from the mace, a missile or two would follow and hit him before he could avoid them.

Fortunately, Megatron was running out of missiles and Prime knew that would signal his chance to attack. He dodged the purple mace and shoulder tackled his foe. The Emperor of Destruction stumbled back, but was quick to regain his balance and block Optimus' attack. "Now you've done it Prime," he hissed and pulled out a long sword that he'd used when he was a gladiator in Kaon. "This is the same sword I used to carve out Sentinel Prime's spark. How fitting that you will die by the same blade."

Optimus took advantage of the time Megatron used to deliver his little ramble and pulled out the jagged rock in his chest, a flimsy substitute for a club, but it would serve its purpose. "Hate to disappoint you Megatron, but I don't intend on dying today," Prime responded. As expected, a mere piece of Lunar rock could not and did not stand a chance against a blade forged from Cybertronian steel, but it did set the stage for the Autobot Supreme Commander to end this battle. Using his free hand, Optimus disarmed Megatron and leveled his exhaust blaster on the now freed hand with the tyrant's face. Due to his injury, the shot was not very powerful and Megatron was able to prevent it from hitting his head, but it was enough to disable his right shoulder. "It's over Megatron, you've lost," said Prime, aiming his recovered rifle at his enemy's spark chamber. "To be perfectly honest, I am really tempted to pull the trigger and end this eon long battle right now, but I have more important matters to attend to." After shooting Megatron in the legs, Optimus turned to face his next opponent, Nemesis Prime. "Let's end this right here, right now, Nemesis Prime, or should I say Princess Keres of Saturn" he stated and fired a shot at the female Prime.

Nemesis Prime glared at the Autobot, but only tilted her head in order to avoid the laser meant for her. "No," she replied with her arms still folded. "When I fight you, I want you to be in your best condition instead of the pathetic one you are in now." The black Prime uncrossed her arms and took hold of the Silent Glaive. "Besides, you haven't finished your fight with Megatron, you only won the first round," she hurled the Saturian weapon into Megatron's spark, but it did not kill him. Instead, Megatron's body was levitated and engulfed by a black aura. "Behold the power to reformat even the most damaged transformer, a gift from my master." When its work was complete, the glaive returned to its owner's hand and the black aura faded.

Megatron's body was no longer present and a new, thinner robot stood where Megatron previously laid. Optimus examined the fruits of Nemesis Prime's power and found it terrifying. The odds were definitely against him, seeing that he was seriously damaged while Megatron had just been upgraded. The most obvious difference was that this new version was mostly purple instead of just silver. The bulky rectangular frame that formed Megatron were replaced with circular armor and a smaller fusion cannon. "Be glad, Prime, for you will have the honor of personally dying at the hands of the most powerful being in the Universe, me. FOR I AM GALVATRON!"

Unbeknownst to Optimus, Galvatron, or even Nemesis, there were two bots watching them from a safe distance. "Do you think Optimus Prime has a chance," asked one of the observers, currently in a beast mode.

"I don't know, my friend. What I do know is that this will prove whether or not Optimus Prime has the metal needed to be leader of the Autobots."

Earth, Europe:

'Oh my dear Endymion, why must you love that girl from the moon? Why can't you realize that I am here and that I can give you all the love you need,' thought a beautiful, red haired girl, about eighteen years old, as she stared out of the window.

"Beryl, stop daydreaming and go help your father collect the harvest," shouted an old woman to her daughter.

"Yes mother, forgive me," the young woman shrieked, placing on a pair of worn out shoes and running out the door. She grabbed a large cloth sack and a sickle and ran towards the wheat field. However, she stopped half way and dropped the tools in her hands. Beryl's red eyes widened as she stared at a large black metallic being with fire surrounding its body. "De...de....demon," she screamed and sprinted back towards her house.

However, the metallic creature had a different plan and grabbed the teenage girl in its hand. "Relax Beryl, I have been sent by my benevolent master, Unicron, in order to give you the power you need to win Prince Endymion's love," the giant's words helped calm the girl, while he injected an evil energy into her without her knowing. "I am known as the Fallen, and now I am your ally.

* * *

Preview: In every part of Mare Serenitatis, battle rages between the Autobots and the Decepticons. Prowl and his band must fight off a seemingly never-ending swarm of Insecticons while protecting Minako. Kup and his group must work with Ami if they are to survive an engagement with the Butcher of the Bog. Michiru must hold her own against Wierdwolf while the Dynobots clash with the Predacons. Haruka and the Wreckers must fight off the Mayhem Attack Squad . Makoto, Blaster, and Ultra Magnus are locked in combat with Soundwave and his unit of Decepticons. Rei is having difficulty in persuading Omega Supreme to give up his hunt for the Constructicons and support the evacuation of the city. Hotaru and Arcee must find a way to bring an end to Flamewar's onslaught. Soran and Rodimus must continue their search for Hotaru while repelling attacks from the new and powerful Decepticon, Cylconus. And while all of this is going on, Optimus must find a way to survive his battle with Galvatron. Next chapter: All Hail Galvatron.


End file.
